Re: [Usability] preferences, sessions, etc. notes

[George <jirka 5z com>]

On Thu, Sep 20, 2001 at 04:47:33PM -0400, John Kodis wrote:
> >  - temporarily log out, let someone else log in, then go back 
> >    to their session (as with Windows XP)
> 
> Here's a use-case that I'd find useful:
> 
> - I log in, do some stuff, wander off, and let Xscreensaver kick in;
> 
> - My daughter walks up to my computer, and rather than being presented
>   with the Xscreensaver "Enter your password" dialog box, she instead
>   finds herself presented with the Gnome Display Manager "Enter your
>   username and password" dialog box;
> 
> - She enters her username and password, and is given a new X server
>   running on another virtual console.  She does some stuff, wanders
>   off, and lets Xscreensaver kick in;
> 
> - When I return, I enter my username and password, and find myself
>   returned to the session, already in progress, that I wandered off
>   from, just like reauthenticating to Xscreensaver does now.
> 
> It seems as though all the major bits and pieces required to do this
> are in place, and all that remains to be done is to tie together the
> appropriate gdm and Xscreensaver code segments.

Well it can be made to work very easily with a new gdm (2.2.4.x).  All we
need is xscreensaver to support this.

It won't exactly be "temporairly logging out".  It will be just letting your
session be and starting a new one.  Currently you can do that from the menu
if you are logged in as one user.  This will (in CVS) run xscreensaver in
lock mode, throttle it (disable hacks) and run a new gdm login screen.  After
the user logs out, X switches to the old vt automatically, and you type your
password and get back into your session (unfortunately xscreensaver really
blanks the screen, which can be a little confusing until you move the mouse,
or tap the keyboard, I think I can make a hack to make this work nicer,
but it's ugly as crap).

Anyway all that we need in xscreensaver is:

A button that allows a new login.  This would just run "gdmflexiserver".

Also xscreensaver could offer a menu of currently logged in sessions (gdm can
provide that through the /tmp/.gdm socket)  This is also fairly trivial to
do.

gdm login window should offer a menu of current sessions, if there are some.
So that you can switch to a different console with the mouse.

It would be nice if xscreensaver provided a sort of "plugin" mechanism so
that it could run a login widget from gdm rather then it's own.  Then all
this could be in the gdm package, and users without gdm would not be
bothered/confused by things that don't work for them.  If xscreensaver
listened to an env var such as "XSCREENSAVER_LOGIN_WIDGET" which would point
to a binary of the login widget.  And it could run that rather then it's own.
And gdm would set this variable for all sessions it launches.

George

-- 
George <jirka 5z com>
   In the fight between you and the world, back the world.
                       -- Franz Kafka