Submission details
Switch User Function in main menu
It is possible to have a little head in the menu bar at the right side. This menu applet allows you to switch to the login window.
This "Switch User"/Lock function should be in the main menu like shown on the picture.
Medium
Medium
Not fixed
Discussion (7 comments)
Well, it seems that you didn't get the difference between logout and switch user. Logout "closes my session", that means all my running apps are being closed.
What if I need a file from another user account and want to keep my apps running? Or I just want to lock my account, keep my apps running, and allow other users to log in if they need to? Get it?
The menu applet is nice, but why should two quite similar function reside in two different locations?
Apart from that, as the menu applet is not activated by default, perhaps it's hard to find for standard users. Maybe they want that function, but simply don't know that such a thing exists.
And I'm sorry that I didn't use the right font ... this will never happen again ;-)
Yes, there are two separate places to do similar functions... but there is a reason for fast user switching being off by default. The assumption is that most people are not using multiple users on their computer, but only one. So, a feature for multiple users isn't needed by most people and the ones that want it need to take a (small) action to turn it on. Come on, it's not that hard to find!
Even if it showed up under the Apple menu, it still wouldn't be on by default. I also agree that we don't really need to places to do the same thing (context menus excepted, the UI should typically only have one menu item per function, it seems like a waste otherwise).
Yes, and so I just want the menu entry, no menu applet - all in one place.
It's kinda a big deal to completely change the location of that, since everyone who uses it now has the menubar item, to completely remove that and put it in a menu instead... I think a more convincing argument is required for a change that would impact a lot of people.
Honestly, Apple does not need a good argument. Knowing them, they'll probably change it and there's nothing to do about it. Although I think that Copy&Paste on the iPhone is still higher on the list.
jasper wrote on September 27, 2008, 10:51am
Don't they have a menu for this in the menubar itself? I think they do, then what's the problem? You can switch users there. Also, if you press 'abmelden' (logout) you can login with another user. You already got two options to do the same thing. Three would just confuse users. Demote.
By the way, just for your graphical information, MacOS X uses Lucida Grande for main menu's and Helvetica on random places. It's iPhoneOS that uses Helvetica across the board? (Just so you can create more realistic mockups in the future).