[Bug 88942] users shutting down and /apps/panel/global/disable_log_out

[Anton Oussik]

Public bug reported:

Binary package hint: gnome-panel

I have a usability problem.

A number of users use this computer, physical access to it is
unrestricted, and the users all share one user account, using the
machine for general purpose web browsing, etc. Most users that use the
machine do not have enough experience with computers to know what an
Operating System is, but most are comfortable with using a web browser.

I like to have the machine running all the time, as it runs a network
monitoring script to work out ISP connection problems, as well as
running sshd so I can upgrade it remotely, and sometimes download files
to it.

On the monitor I have a sticker with instructions for logging out, with
an arrow drawn pointing at the button to press to get the log out
dialogue. Most users have no problem finding it, although some get
confused, so I added a Windows-like menu with a Quit... button at the
bottom of it.

However this brings up a dialogue with 7 options, which most users find
very very confusing. It has options for Hybernation, Restarting,
Switching users, Shutting Down, and Locking the screen, which are all
very bad to have in my case. Many users seem to get confused by all the
options, as they don't know what many of those mean, and just end up
hitting "Shut down" as they recognise seeing the option somewhere
before. I have tried speaking to the users, but they swear to be
following instructions. From that I can conclude that the log out
dialogue is a usability hell, since users unknowingly take the machine
down.

What I need is a way to disable unneeded options in the dialogue,
presenting users with choices to "Log Out" and "Cancel". This way, if
the user gets confused and hits the wrong option they will simply need
to try again until they get it right.

I tried using Pessulus, but it only provides an option to prevent the
users from logging out, which is the exact opposite of what I am trying
to do.

In gconf I found an option
/apps/panel/global/disable_log_out
which despite the name disables shutting down as well as logging out (which is misleading). However I want my users to be able to log out, or else the machine will end up with many resource consuming running processes over time as users will start things, minimise them, switch virtual desktops, and walk away, eventually making the machine unresponsive.

Gnome support forums have a similar thread
http://gnomesupport.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=11755
but fails to come up with anything that would work.

** Affects: gnome-panel (Ubuntu)
     Importance: Undecided
         Status: Unconfirmed

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users shutting down and /apps/panel/global/disable_log_out
https://launchpad.net/bugs/88942