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Toyin · Nov 4, 2003, 09:14 PM

Is it possible to use your short name or a symbol for the fast user switching menubar item? Not an issue on my Desktop but on the 12" PB it's a PITA.

curmi · Nov 4, 2003, 09:22 PM

Agreed. Pretty poor that Apple didn't have some option to show say the user icon in the menu bar instead, or shortname, or even just a generic "user" icon.

Even on a 15" powerbook the user name takes up so much space you end up losing other menu icons with some applications. And my name isn't that long - I feel sorry for people with long greek names for example...

gorickey · Nov 4, 2003, 09:28 PM

I agree as well, Apple really needs to re-think the menulet....

TeknoTurd · Nov 4, 2003, 09:32 PM

That was the first thing I noticed too when I enabled Fast User Switching. My name is 16 characters long including a space between first and last names so it takes up a pretty good part of my precious menu real estate. Oh well, just something to look forward to in the future I guess

Brass · Nov 4, 2003, 09:46 PM

You think it's bad on the 12"? You should see it on my wife's clamshell! In most applications, the user menubar item is the ONLY one you can see. To use any of the others (eg, to connect to the internet using the menu item) you have to go to the Finder first, just so the menu bar item is visible.

cybergoober · 11:44 PM

Fear not felllow 1024x768ers!!

The best work-around I have found yet is to download this little gem:

http://www.tvilike.co.uk/fuskey.zip
(THANK YOU sandsl!!!)

This will allow you to assign a hot-key combo to Fast User Switch to the Login Screen (leaving your current login session running). Then you can opt to not have the User.menu taking up that Menu Bar real-estate.

Until Apple offers a fix� Enjoy.

BTW- Just be thankful you're not this chap!

kcmac · Nov 4, 2003, 11:45 PM

http://www.apple.com/macosx/feedback/

Send it in. The more the faster it gets fixed.

curmi · Nov 5, 2003, 12:09 AM

Another option that would be good (apart from an image or shortname) would be initials based on long name.

Yes, send your feedback.

chabig · Nov 5, 2003, 12:47 AM

Another way they could do it would be to have a menu item labeled "Switch..." or "Login Window..." right above "Logout" under the Apple menu.

Chris

tooki · Nov 5, 2003, 01:01 AM

Originally posted by cybergoober:
BTW- Just be thankful you're not this chap!

Gotta love the Simpsons! That they even bother to come up with a last name for Apu... hehe!

tooki

::maroma:: · Nov 5, 2003, 01:13 AM

I too am annoyed by this. My workaround is to change my long name (in System Preferences -> Accounts) to my short name. As my home computer, I have no reason for my long name to be there.

- - e r i k - - · Nov 5, 2003, 07:43 AM

Originally posted by cybergoober:
Fear not felllow 1024x768ers!!

The best work-around I have found yet is to download this little gem:

http://www.tvilike.co.uk/fuskey.zip
(THANK YOU sandsl!!!)

It worked excellent, but after a restart it's gone and now the app won't even start anymore

Toyin · Nov 5, 2003, 08:36 AM

Originally posted by cybergoober:
Fear not felllow 1024x768ers!!

The best work-around I have found yet is to download this little gem:

http://www.tvilike.co.uk/fuskey.zip
(THANK YOU sandsl!!!)

This will allow you to assign a hot-key combo to Fast User Switch to the Login Screen (leaving your current login session running). Then you can opt to not have the User.menu taking up that Menu Bar real-estate.

Until Apple offers a fix� Enjoy.

BTW- Just be thankful you're not this chap!

Thanks, that's nice, but it requires an extra step. The drop down menu is much easier for novices. I share my computer with my wife who uses it infrequently and may not remember the key combination. Hopefully Apple will either put it in the Apple menu or give us options to use a different options for the menubar.

chris v · Nov 5, 2003, 09:34 AM

Originally posted by chabig:
Another way they could do it would be to have a menu item labeled "Switch..." or "Login Window..." right above "Logout" under the Apple menu.

Chris

I've got to agree. With all the other related options, (Restart, Log out, Shut down) under the Apple menu, a Switch Users... with a sub-menu of available users would be ideal, and not take up any menu bar real eastate. With Potoshop open, and fast user switching on my 1024 X 768, I lose the rightmost menu in the app. (I've only got the username, 3 menulings and the clock on the right)

Maybe, just maybe, Apple would consider letting us re-size the font in the menubar?? Sorry, thinking all crazy out of my head again.

CV

cybergoober · Nov 5, 2003, 09:36 AM

Hmm. I set the Key Combo, then put FUSKey in my Startup Items.

Works like a charm� for me at least.

GDoering · Nov 5, 2003, 10:54 AM

All Apple has to do is put the little black 'Users' icon in the menu bar where you click on it the switch users menu drops down. There is no need to have your name on the menu bar. Maybe you could customize the icon to be male or female but I'd prefer that my name not show up on the menu bar.

wtmcgee · Nov 5, 2003, 11:11 AM

leave feedback on the apple site and let them know you don't like the current implementation.

redJag · Nov 5, 2003, 11:41 AM

Once unsanity updates their FruitMenu to work with Panther, it should be a simple deal to add it to the Apple Menu. This is something that should not require a hack, however. Send feedback! I think the option to have a Switch User icon in place of the long name would be preferable.

chris v · Nov 5, 2003, 12:57 PM

Originally posted by kcmac:
http://www.apple.com/macosx/feedback/

Send it in. The more the faster it gets fixed.

Done. The text of my feedback:

On a 1024 x 768 monitor, I have enabled fast user switching, and I use a basic set of your other "menulings" (volume, monitor and eject) and the clock (displaying as the numerical readout, with seconds). My name is long enough that with it in the menubar, I'm missing application menus. In Photoshop, with Exensis' PhotoFrame, the Extensis menu that it adds to the right side of the application menus does not show up on my display.

My $.02 on an alternate implementation;

1. Replace the username with a menu icon roughly the size of the other menu icons, like the volume, etc. The same silhouette you use in the System Preferences application for the accounts pane would be a good choice.

2. Or perhaps, move this feature under the Apple menu, where it could be grouped with other similar Apple menu functions, like Log out... restart, and shut down.

I could change my name to Ty Ng, but that would require a trip to the courthouse, as well as the driver's license office, and I've got a lot to do today.

For further reading, this issue is being discussed here: http://forums.macnn.com/showthread.p...67#post1684967

Thanks,
Chris Vreeland

mishakim · Nov 5, 2003, 01:09 PM

one thing no one has mentioned, you can move the menu just like any other menuling by holding down the Apple key. I moved it all the way to the left, so at least it's the first thing to disappear when an App has many menus, and I can still see the clock, airport, etc. menus.

Doesn't solve the root problem, but at least helps.

Bobby · Nov 5, 2003, 02:55 PM

I saw the topic and thought you wanted to give a short name to "Fast User Switching"...

I was thinking FU Switching would be a good alterantive...

Bobby · Nov 5, 2003, 02:59 PM

I'm hoping Fruit Menu for 10.3 will implement some kind of fast user switching...

I'm also thinking someone out there could make a new Menulet that does the same thing...

I'm also wondering if there is a way to execute fast user switching from the command line...

I would also think a good alternative to the full long name would be to use first name and last inital...
Which would turn:
Bobby Thompson
Into
Bobby T.

But if any of these will pan out, only time will tell...

Bobby · Nov 5, 2003, 05:35 PM

Originally posted by wtmcgee:
leave feedback on the apple site and let them know you don't like the current implementation.

I (along with several others I believe) actually sent feedback on this very topic to Apple, back when the only reference we had were the newly released screen shots... So at the very least they have had some feedback about this from a long time ago...

absmiths · Nov 5, 2003, 05:43 PM

Originally posted by Bobby:
I saw the topic and thought you wanted to give a short name to "Fast User Switching"...

I was thinking FU Switching would be a good alterantive...

That's funny - I thought the same thing. I was thinking of something like "panic," since that is all it did in the early days.

Brass · Nov 5, 2003, 08:20 PM

Originally posted by Bobby:
I saw the topic and thought you wanted to give a short name to "Fast User Switching"...

I was thinking FU Switching would be a good alterantive...

I think I'd like Fast US better. Or just FUS.

brapper · Nov 5, 2003, 09:33 PM

Originally posted by Brass:
I think I'd like Fast US better. Or just FUS.

I think he missed the joke....

C.J. Moof · Nov 7, 2003, 11:12 AM

I asked Apple to change the menu from the user's name to their picture from the login screen. That would accomplish the same goal of at-a-glance knowing which account is logged in, but not be so greedy of menubar space.

mattmarshall · Nov 7, 2003, 01:47 PM

why not just put the switching options under the apple menu? why do you needd to take up more menu-bar space?

no clicks are saved by doing this, and it is more logical to have switching listed with the other log-out options

- matt

JayJay1974 · Nov 8, 2003, 08:46 AM

Check out this from Mac OS X Hints:

FUS from Terminal and AppleScript

JJ