[IamBob]

Can I change what's on the Dock for managed users?...

Finder, My Applications, Documents, Shared, Trash.

NO! Like this, please: FirstApp, SecondApp, Third.

Yeah, Simple Finder is ok as a dumbed-down launcher but the Dock is better. Why should my "managed user" need to click "My Applications" in order to get to the apps I allow?

Clicking the Finder icon does nadda. Documents and Shared will never have anything in them. There shouldn't be a trash, my user won't need it. Man this is frustrating.</venting>

Does anyone have any tips for really managing a user? If nothing else, does anyone know where this dock configuration is located?

[Longshanks]

Bob, you can control what applications are in your user's dock by simply dragging them in and organizing them at will. You can also prevent your user from modifying the dock if you wish. Look in System Preferences/ Accounts - under the Limitations tab. You can also control what applications can be run regardless of whether they are in the dock or not.

Perhaps you have not allowed your user to modify the dock already and that is why you can't do it yourself when you are logged under his name. If so, log in under your account, allow his account to modify the dock until you have it set up the way you wish.

Hope this helps.

Longshanks

[IamBob]

You can do that but then you lose the simple finder....not that I even want the Finder available or running.

Another thing that would be nice is to be able to non-destructively replace the finder for individual users. There's a hint on macosxhints that details how to replace the Finder with Path Finder but it affects all users - I'd like to replace it on a per-user basis with something of my own creation....then I wouldn't even need the dock.

I guess I was really hoping I could micro-manage my users. Thanks anyway!

[Person Man]

Originally posted by IamBob:
Can I change what's on the Dock for managed users?...

Finder, My Applications, Documents, Shared, Trash.

NO! Like this, please: FirstApp, SecondApp, Third.

Yeah, Simple Finder is ok as a dumbed-down launcher but the Dock is better. Why should my "managed user" need to click "My Applications" in order to get to the apps I allow?

Clicking the Finder icon does nadda. Documents and Shared will never have anything in them. There shouldn't be a trash, my user won't need it. Man this is frustrating.</venting>

Does anyone have any tips for really managing a user? If nothing else, does anyone know where this dock configuration is located?

Well, there won't be a way to remove the Trash, even if the user "won't need" it. That's always there.

[Randman]

Are you trying to make it work with kids, or the elderly? Better than micro-manage so much (no trash?), teach them a little bit about the system.
You can tailor the system per user as you want and while you can quit the Finder, you're still going to have the Finder and trash on the desktop.

[IamBob]

I'm trying to setup accounts for specific tasks, actually.

True, 2 of them are primarily for my 4 year old but he's already more computer literate than half the adults I know - I'm not worried about that, I just want a "clean" UI. One for movies, one for kids games and one for music.

Now that I've thought about it, I might as well write a kiosk-type application. It won't get rid of the Finder and Dock but will run above them (disallowing force quit and app switching) so as to be as simple as possible - not quite what I had in mind but probably doable with little fuss.

I still think it stinks that you can't micro-manage your users though.

[piracy]

Have you considered using a LoginHook (a set of scripted actions that can occur at login) to, for example, replace the Finder on the fly depending on who's logging in, or perform other actions as needed?

See:

http://rsug.itd.umich.edu/software/ihook/

http://macenterprise.org/presentatio...ogoutHooks.pdf

[IamBob]

Nope, I hadn't thought about a LoginHook. Looks useful but not for what I had in mind...

The point of the managed accounts is to give anyone with access to the machine a simple way to play a game or watch a movie, regardless of experience and without my help. If there was a dialog asking for an admin pass (so the Finder could be replaced) I'd have to supply it - whacking one of the requirements.

I did figure out that you can almost sort of replace the Finder. Give whatever app the Finder signature (FNDRMACS) so that it launches when you login and restarts if it dies and then limit the user to no apps. Through your Finder replacement you should then be able to launch whatever you need. I haven't fully investigated this but it might work for what I want.

[Randman]

I guess giving the toddler a book is out of the question.

[IamBob]

Sure, how 'bout an iBook?

We take 2 hour trips on a regular basis (to see mom) so an enter(/edu)tainment system is the better option. Especially since he can't quite read yet - he can read one through ten (number-words) but past that it's really hit and miss, as expected for his age.

So I spoil him a little. As he gets older I'll pile on books as well, you can count on that. But for now movies, edutainment and older mario-type games are the best option.

Several of my friends have kid armies. A couple days after I got my iBook it was put to good use - a youngin' was pestering her mom and you could tell mom was going to explode, I took the kids in the other room, put on a movie and all was well for an hour or so.

That's not an uncommon situation and the solution was almost exactly what I had in mind. It took me 10 minutes to run through the movie selection with them and get it going though so I'd rather they make the decision without me. Then I could get the popcorn going or whatever...I hate being in the middle of "timmy always gets to pick the movie" type fights, let 'em sort it out on their own.

I think I got it figured out now anyway, thanks.