Help me be a control freak

proxyproxy
Posted:
in Genius Bar edited January 2014
OK..maybe not a control freak. I want to set up a new user account for my imac (I'm using OSX 10.1.5). I can do that easy enough but I need control over what applications they can use, and how they use them. i.e. in itunes I want to let them add to, but not delete songs and playlists. Other things I could do with are control over what time they can use the computer and stopping them from using DVDs. Anyone got any suggestions or links to shareware?



Any help much appreciated (and much needed)

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 5
    scott_h_phdscott_h_phd Posts: 448member
    Well? I think the best way to do it would be to have the MP3s owned by one user. Set the file write protection to user only. You may also what to creat a new group that has restricted rights. Some combination of the two should do it.



    HTH
  • Reply 2 of 5
    nocnitsanocnitsa Posts: 24member
    You need a good Key program of some kind... I avoid them myself, so I am not much good to ya. Though on my windows machines the OS usually has built-in options that can be rather detailed.

    In the end, I saw a few programs (most with trial programs.. maybe some free) for windows that allowed total control like that. I think you are gonna have to spend 30min doing a search. Start on version tracker just to get the lingo down, then hit google or newsgroups and I am sure you will quickly find the best program to get (and maybe where to find it..).



    From my experimentation with osX, I have not seen any easy method to control/password uses of the system with much detail. I think that scott had the best idea if you are wary of using additional software.
  • Reply 3 of 5
    proxyproxy Posts: 232member
    Thanks for the suggestions so far. Anybody got any other ideas? I hope this gets better in jaguar (might even make me pay for it
  • Reply 4 of 5
    dobbydobby Posts: 797member
    In 10.2 you can possibly create a user and grant or deny applications the user has privilege to use.

    this is of course wild speculation as I would not want to endager my NDA.



    Dobby
  • Reply 5 of 5
    curiousuburbcuriousuburb Posts: 3,325member
    itunes to behave like -chmod 755



    the public -> drop box folder of the superuser is "write only" for all other users



    park your itunes playlists/library there (or alias of it) and they can add but not delete music



    (alias playlist and alias of that drop box might need to be dropped back into main itunes prefs though... i'll try this and get back to you)



    dvd



    dvd restriction is tougher in part because there are some issues about waking from sleep (or opening lid if we're talking a book) that might cause it to "auto-boot" detected dvd's...



    now if the old "Launcher" app shipped for X...

    (redundant with user management power in OS)



    --



    hmmm... just had an epiphany about dvd control



    providing you've got *ahem* access to the region control reset utilities and they're compatible with your rev of DVDPlayer and/or drive firmware (minor risk, but always check first)



    maybe you could reset your dvd drive "region code" to one that wouldn't read the disc for those you don't want seen. (ie: set your drive for middle east region, it wouldn't play the nudity in US region 1 discs)



    when you want to watch the "uncut" discs yourself, you'd reload the utility and reset your drive back to region one (which, IIRC, will read all "lower" regions)



    you need to have the utility to zap your drive because the software switching only allowed 5 times, then the drive was pooched in whatever its last setting was.



    check versiontracker for "DVD Region" to see if the current hack still works



    NB: jag may supercede or otherwise alter this plan



    ymmv



    [ 08-13-2002: Message edited by: curiousuburb ]</p>
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