Re: Is Everything Before the Login Panel Open Source?
Re: Is Everything Before the Login Panel Open Source?
- Subject: Re: Is Everything Before the Login Panel Open Source?
- From: Bernie Zenis <email@hidden>
- Date: Thu, 19 Sep 2002 12:29:42 -0400
On Thursday, September 19, 2002, at 06:55 AM, Peter Montagner wrote:
IIRC, this would be a fair bit of work. Loading an environment off
another /Users directory shouldn't be that hard. Getting Unix
privileges right could be a lot harder. Suppose the second OSX install
has a user that the boot install doesn't have. What happens? That user
wont be in the netinfo database or anything. You could try merging
multiple netinfo databases on boot, I don't know if that's possible
(not an expert in netinfo). Also, what if a user on one install has the
same UID as another different user on another install. Privileges would
be pretty broken.
OTOH, if you have the requirement that only users on other drives also
on the boot system appear, it may work. But, AFAIK that would only work
if the UIDs were also the same (ie. you created them in the same order).
I'm not saying any of this is impossible but I think Mac OS X would
fight you every inch of the way, unless you make some restrictions.
Actually, none of the restrictions are that bad.
I think the main point was to run different versions of OSX, right? In
that case you'd really have to run off a different /System folder and
possibly put the kernel into some kind of old version compatibility
mode.
I'd just restart ;-)
LOL. It sounds like you would rather not even think about the
problem. :-)
Some of what you are saying sounds like authenticating a user from a
different system to run on "this" system. That is not what I was
thinking. I was thinking of using a single login panel as a way to log
into other system. Think of it as booting "this" system, picking a user
on another system, restarting, autologin to that user on that system...
without the restart and the autologin. :-) The best (only?) way I can
think of avoiding the restart is to run the other system off of the
currently loaded kernel, drivers, etc.
It is really just a convenience feature for the users (and us who
probably switch between systems more than average users). The current
method forces us to pick a system (thru Startup Disk) first, then a
user. If we could pick a system and a user at the same time, we would be
more productive, we could work hard and faster on our killer apps that
would propel the Mac to the top! (Hint, hint, Apple :-)
BTW, so, do we currently have a kernel that can emulate older versions?
And drivers, etc.?
-Bernie
Peter
On Thursday, September 19, 2002, at 08:35 AM, Bernie Zenis wrote:
Hi,
Is everything before the login panel Open Source?
I want to know because I am trying to think of ways that Apple might
implement an idea. The idea is to have a single login panel allow you
to login to any account on any Mac OS X version on any disk/partition
in your Mac. At first, this seems really hard because the OS is
partially (or fully?) loaded by the time you get to the login panel.
However, if everything before the login panel is Open Source, then it
seems more possible. Or would it not really be possible because too
much earlier software might not work with the latest kernel, etc.?
Thanks,
Bernie
_______________________________________________
darwin-kernel mailing list | email@hidden
Help/Unsubscribe/Archives:
http://www.lists.apple.com/mailman/listinfo/darwin-kernel
Do not post admin requests to the list. They will be ignored.
_______________________________________________
darwin-kernel mailing list | email@hidden
Help/Unsubscribe/Archives:
http://www.lists.apple.com/mailman/listinfo/darwin-kernel
Do not post admin requests to the list. They will be ignored.