Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!bu.edu!nntp-read.bu.edu!robertl From: robertl@bucsf.bu.edu (Robert La Ferla) Newsgroups: comp.sys.next Subject: GUI User Information (was Re: Another ... Suggestion for NeXT, Inc.) Message-ID: Date: 30 Apr 91 00:52:31 GMT References: <1991Apr28.083232.12277@cbnewse.att.com> <591@rosie.NeXT.COM> <1991Apr29.082508.2376@wuphys.wustl.edu> <13711@ur-cc.UUCP> Sender: news@bu.edu.bu.edu Reply-To: robertl@bucsf.bu.edu (Robert La Ferla) Organization: Boston University Computer Science Department Lines: 17 In-reply-to: esht_cif@troi.cc.rochester.edu's message of 29 Apr 91 21:03:22 GMT I agree that it is a great idea however it opens up a whole new can of worms. What you really want to do is to assimilate into another user on your system as in the "su" command. Currently, NeXTStep lacks support for multi-users on a system in the GUI. There is no way to tell who you are on the system from the GUI. What NeXT needs to do is somehow display your identity visually. ie. a GUI version of UNIX's "whoami" Related to this are other user information utilities like "finger", "who", etc... I hope NeXT is working on something along these lines. I hope they are not going to simply create a front-end interface for "finger", etc but rather incorporate it into the Workspace Manager. I haven't thought about how this should be done so I won't offer any suggestions. Dare I bring up the subject of processes in the GUI? I'll save that topic for NeXT week... Robert La Ferla Lotus Development Corporation Advanced Technology Group / Improv