I really like the "Panels" interface that you get when you activate it via Multiple Users. I'm setting up an iMac for a computer newbie, and I'd like to provide Panels as the primary interface. But I've been having problems with the restricted Multiple Users feature (namely, I can't get it to print to an NEC SuperScript 870 laser printer), and since I don't need Multiple Users (since there will be only one user for that computer), I'm looking into the possibility of setting up the Panels interface WITHOUT activating Multiple Users.
I noticed there was a "Panels" item in the System Folder. I changed the type of it (using ResEdit) to make it into an application, and sure enough, it worked.
HOWEVER, it only displays panels for the hard drives, whereas I'd like it to display "Items" and "Documents" panels as it does when Multiple Users is activated.
Is there any way to modify what "panels" the Panels program displays? Or better yet, is there some alternative to Panels? The closest alternative is using the tabbed "Pop-Up Window" feature of Finder, but this isn't nearly as nice/user-friendly as the Panels interface (in particular, the user might inadvertantly "un-tab" a tabbed window).