Customizing the User Experience

You manage a network user’s work environment by defining preferences—settings that customize and control the user’s computer experience.

There are two panes in Workgroup Manager Preferences: Overview and Details. To manage predefined system preferences, use the Overview pane. To manage preferences for any application or utility that has a preference manifest, use the Details pane.

The Overview pane is identical for users and groups, but additional items (Energy Saver and Time Machine) appear for computers and computer groups.

Many factors, including user responsibilities and security issues, determine what computer work environment is most suitable for a user. In some cases, setting up informal usage guidelines may be sufficient. In other cases, tightly controlling the computer experience may be necessary, with each setting defined and each application controlled. The preferences you define should use Mac OS X capabilities that best support your user and your business requirements.

The Power of Preferences

Many preferences, such as Dock and Finder preferences, customize the appearance of the desktop. For example, you can set up Dock and Finder preferences so the user’s work environment is simplified by including only essential applications and key folders in the Dock.

Other preferences manage what users can access and control. For example, you can set up Media Access preferences to prevent users from burning CDs and DVDs or making changes to a computer’s internal disk.

The following table summarizes how preferences affect the appearance of the desktop, and the activities a user can perform.

 

Tailors the work

Limits access

 

This preference

environment

and control

By letting you manage

Applications

 

%

Applications a user can open

 

 

 

 

Classic

%

 

Classic environment startup

 

 

 

 

Dock

%

 

Appearance and contents of the Dock

 

 

 

 

Energy Saver

%

 

Startup, shutdown, wake, sleep, and

 

 

 

performance settings

 

 

 

 

Finder

%

%

Appearance of desktop icons and Finder

 

 

 

elements

 

 

 

 

Login

%

 

Login experience

 

 

 

 

Media Access

 

%

Ability to use recordable media

 

 

 

 

Mobility

%

 

Creation of mobile accounts

 

 

 

 

Chapter 9 Client Management Overview

149

Page 149
Image 149
Apple 10.5 Leapard manual Customizing the User Experience, Power of Preferences, Limits access