UNSOLVED: How do I administer users in Kubuntu 8.04 KDE4?

[Joe_Bloe]

Is there a new gui for administering users in KDE4, or is it an incomplete feature? Do I need to use the command line? I want to create users, and add users to groups.

Thanks

[Fintan]

Re: How do I administer users in Kubuntu 8.04 KDE4?

AFIK that has yet to be added to the system settings.

Try using kcontrol for now
ALT+F2:

kcontrol

If you don't have it install it with adept/synaptic/sudo apt-get install kcontrol

[Joe_Bloe]

SOLVED: How do I administer users in Kubuntu 8.04 KDE4?

thanks very much!

[Joe_Bloe]

Re: UNSOLVED: How do I administer users in Kubuntu 8.04 KDE4?

uh oh, I said "SOLVED" too quick. Now I've installed kcontrol, but I can't find the user administration feature in that, either. Still looking... Thanks for the help though.

[Snowhog]

Re: UNSOLVED: How do I administer users in Kubuntu 8.04 KDE4?

Okay guys, what happened to kcontrol?! Alt+F2 kcontrol returns:


And contrary to the displayed message about kcontrol executable not being found, here is the result of a search on kcontrol from the CLI:

./usr/share/apps/kcontrol
./usr/share/doc/kcontrol
./usr/share/doc/kde/HTML/en/kcontrol
./usr/share/menu/kcontrol
./usr/share/lintian/overrides/kcontrol
./usr/bin/kcontrol

Both /usr/share/apps/kcontrol/kcontrolui.rc and /usr/bin/kcontrol are root:root so what's going on?

[dibl]

Re: UNSOLVED: How do I administer users in Kubuntu 8.04 KDE4?

@Snowhog, I guess your privileges have been suspended for misbehavior!

Seriously, I dunno -- from my KDE4 desktop, when I do Alt-F2 "kcontrol", the KDE3.5.9 Kcontrol pops open. Looks like maybe you have lost a piece of KDE there, somehow. :P

[Snowhog]

Re: UNSOLVED: How do I administer users in Kubuntu 8.04 KDE4?

That's likely, but not sure what. I do keep a log of all packages upgraded, installed, removed via Adept Notifier. As I haven't accessed kcontrol lately, I only discovered the problem this morning, so I have no idea how long it's been a problem. :P

Update: Actually, I guess I do. On 2008-04-16, kcontrol was one of the upgraded packages identified by Adept Notifier. The current installed version is 4:3.5.9-0ubuntu7

My current $PATH
/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin:/usr/games

[Fintan]

Re: UNSOLVED: How do I administer users in Kubuntu 8.04 KDE4?

Now I've installed kcontrol, but I can't find the user administration feature in that, either

It should be under:
system manager (or something, mine is in german)

sorry snowhog can't help you there

[dibl]

Re: UNSOLVED: How do I administer users in Kubuntu 8.04 KDE4?

@Snowhog, you might try renaming the .kde hidden file, and then logging out and logging back in. It might have lost its way during upgrades or something. Of course, you'll lose your desktop settings.

[Snowhog]

Re: UNSOLVED: How do I administer users in Kubuntu 8.04 KDE4?

"Doc, I don't know why, but my arm hurts. What should I do?"

"Hmm. You say your arm hurts? That's almost definitely, with a 23.1% likelyhood, as backed up by 3 out of 90 doctors polled, and supported by the unrecorded voice vote of the three ousted FDA summer interns, to mean you are suffering from a chronic ulcer of the anterior arterial wall of the lower abdominal connecting vascular network. And that most definitely requires surgery without delay, or you're a gonner! See my receptionist and schedule an appointment."

Did a test. Opened a console and ran:

kdesu kcontrol

The GUI password prompt appeared, typed in my password and the kcontrol center promptly appeared. So, there is something a miss with the straight GUI approach (Alt+F2) to running kcontrol. Hmm.

[Snowhog]

Re: UNSOLVED: How do I administer users in Kubuntu 8.04 KDE4?

More testing.

Already know that Alt+F2 kcontrol fails. But, if I open the run comand (Alt+F2) and type in /usr/bin/kcontrol then the control center start right up - without being prompted for my password! kcontrol is being executed by a non-root user, and this from a file that is root:root in a directory owned by root!! How can this be?!

[dibl]

Re: UNSOLVED: How do I administer users in Kubuntu 8.04 KDE4?

kcontrol is not exclusively for the Super User, AFAIK. User can open it -- it is only for his desktop settings, not sysadmin functions, I think.

[Snowhog]

Re: UNSOLVED: How do I administer users in Kubuntu 8.04 KDE4?

I would (generally) agree with you. But, I pointed directly to a root owned executable (as a regular user) and executed it. Is that supposed to be allowed? I'm thinking not, else, why would kcontrol prompt for your password (temporary root access)? If you don't type in your password, kcontrol won't launch, will it??

Just tried another test. In a console, I typed:

kcontrol

Mind you, kcontrol launches a GUI frontend. It ran!! No prompts, no gripes from the CLI, it just launched, and again, without asking for a password.

[jayhawk]

Re: UNSOLVED: How do I administer users in Kubuntu 8.04 KDE4?

Is there a new gui for administering users in KDE4, or is it an incomplete feature? Do I need to use the command line? I want to create users, and add users to groups.

Thanks

Have you tried using Kuser? It should be able to be found under Applications->System->UserManager

[jayhawk]

Re: UNSOLVED: How do I administer users in Kubuntu 8.04 KDE4?

I would (generally) agree with you. But, I pointed directly to a root owned executable (as a regular user) and executed it. Is that supposed to be allowed? I'm thinking not, else, why would kcontrol prompt for your password (temporary root access)? If you don't type in your password, kcontrol won't launch, will it??

Just tried another test. In a console, I typed:

kcontrol

Mind you, kcontrol launches a GUI frontend. It ran!! No prompts, no gripes from the CLI, it just launched, and again, without asking for a password.

I am not for sure if I am following you correctly. For me, I can run kcontrol without kdesu/sudo and still be able to view things. However, if I want to change something, I have to click on the Administrator Mode button so that I can change it. From there, it will ask me for my password.