linuxgeek: Re: [LINUX_Newbies] Two users on one computer

On Jul 11, 2013 4:11 PM, "Cameron Simpson" <cs@zip.com.au> wrote:
>
>
>
> On 11Jul2013 10:14, C. Beck <usabecker@gmail.com> wrote:
> | > Question:
> | > How can I change from user1 to user2:
> | > Shut down and boot again?

> | >>> su user2
> | enter password
>
> She should probably run:
>
> su - user2
>
> to get user2's login environment. Otherwise she'll basicly be user2
> with user1's environment.
>

Hmm.... you are right for sure. I think it is only things stored in user2's
/home that the mail program would need to access, and HOME is set without
needing a login shell. I guess that is why 'su user2' works for me since I
have no substantially different environments on my system, where "user2" is
essentially a guest account. It is also not uncommon for me to already be
logged in as root when I am playing with other user accounts.

>
> | >>> mail_program_name &
> | then close the program and type "exit" in terminal to close
> |
> | I believe that should work, though I have not tried the specific
example I
> | am describing.
>
> If the mail program is a text based one, no worries (except for
> certain niche situations). If the mail program uses the GUI (X11)
> it won't work because it won't be allowed to connect to user1's X11

You are right there also. However, the following at terminal:

>>> su user2

>>> sudo firefox

will open open firefox in the existing X session of "user1" while sourcing
user2's firfeox profile/bookmarks, etc. I assume a graphical mail
environment would behave the same. I did forget the command to open the
program needs to be run as root, which has the usual security/safety
issues. There is a way also to assume the active .Xauthority file from a
different login shell for a priveledged user (or something like that). And
that is probably the way it should be done. I'd have to do heavy google to
have a better clue of what I am talking about here, as it has clearly been
longer than I can remember. Wiki.x.org would probably be a good place to
start if I was going to try and do it right.

> I've been using a Mac as my desktop for too long; can modern Linux
> systems run multiple "live" X11 desktops (live MacOSX "user
> switching")?
>

At least since Ubuntu 10.04, there has been a "switch user" from the
login/out options. It suspends the session of the active user, and lets a
different user log into their own desktop environment, I think in a
different tty. This can be accomplished manually I am sure, but I don't
know how. It should not be too complicated though. I can't speak for
other distributions, as I have only experience with Ubuntu and Debian. I
am not sure if the current Ubuntu is still using X, now that I am thinking
about it...

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]