Re: [PROPOSAL] 'Change Password GUI'

[Matthew Thomas <mpt myrealbox com>]

Trent Lloyd wrote:
> ...
> > 2005/5/17, Matthew Thomas <mpt myrealbox com>:
> ...
> > > Perhaps some improvements could be made to the Users and Groups tool
> > > instead.
> > > *   Let anyone open it, requiring an admin password only when you want
> > >     to modify someone's account and you don't currently have permission.
> > > *   Make the list of users much narrower (perhaps only one column), so
> > >     that properties -- including the password field -- can be visible
> > >     alongside it as soon as you select a user in the list, rather than
> > >     appearing in a separate window only when you click a "Properties"
> > >     button.
> > > *   Always place the account of the current user at the top of the
> > >     list, and pre-select it.
> > >
> > > That way, when you opened Users and Groups, the fields for changing your
> > > own password would be immediately visible.
> ...
> I think this is stupid, this interface is an *admin* interface, you
> can't expect users to go in to some admin tool,

Then the right way to fix it is to stop categorizing it as solely an 
"admin tool", not to provide redundant interfaces for the same task. See 
 the introduction to <http://live.gnome.org/PreferencesRevisited>.

> find there own user,

As explained in the text you quoted, they wouldn't have to find 
themselves. Their own account would be at the top of the list, and 
selected whenever they opened the window.

> open it,

Same there. Whatever account was selected would have its information 
shown in the same window; no opening involved.

> change their password, then realise they opened the wrong user
> and they need some admin password!

That wouldn't happen for two reasons. First, they wouldn't "open" 
someone else's "user" in the first place, since their own password field 
would be there for changing as soon as they opened the window. Second, 
in the unlikely event that they *did* click on another account by 
accident, none of its fields would be editable without entering an admin 
password first. That, combined with the visible selection in the 
always-visible list of accounts (now that it isn't being covered by a 
separate window) would make it obvious that they'd strayed into the 
wrong place.

Cheers
--
Matthew Thomas
http://mpt.net.nz/