Leopard Groups

Leopard now allows for the creation of groups in the Accounts preference pane. When creating a new account, you can now select the type, and one of those types is "Group."


Accounts Preferences: User Types
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Of note is the fact that Leopard, unlike Tiger, does not create a group specific to the user. That is, in Tiger, when the user "systemsboy" was created, a group called "systemsboy" that systemsboy was a member of was automatically created. Apple has done away with this in Leopard for some reason.


Accounts Preferences: Adding Users to a Group
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If you want to add a user to one of your newly created groups, simply select the group and then add the user by checking his name. Multiple users can, of course, be added to a group.

Also of note, control-clicking the user's or group's account and selecting "Advanced Options..." from the pop-up will reveal additional account options formerly configurable only from within the now-defunct NetInfo Manager.


Accounts Preferences: Advanced Options
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I'd say this is mostly nice, or at least certainly a general improvement over NetInfo. I could talk a client through this over the phone. NetInfo, not so much. I do think this is a clumsy interface for dealing with large batches of users, but maybe such things are best left to the Workgroup Managers of the world.

In any case, now you know. And knowing is half the battle.

Yo Joe!