Kuser replacement: user management in KDE?

Mon, 11/28/2016 - 03:23 - augustin
Project:Linux software
Component:Documentation
Category:support request
Priority:normal
Assigned:Unassigned
Status:active
Related pages:#9095: kde-apps/kuser :-:-: #9464: No active EOL'ing of major software branches :-:-: #9549: kde-plasma/user-manager
Tags:KDE is not dead but quite sick
Description

https://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic-t-1055308-start-0-postdays-0-postord...
kuser is being masked/deprecated:
https://archives.gentoo.org/gentoo-dev-announce/message/c4fcef77d881bfbb...
Unfortunately, no replacement is being suggested.

Does KDE have another application fulfilling the same need (graphical user/group management)?
If not, what other replacement would you suggest?

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I notice I already have kde-plasma/user-manager installed, so I guess this is the official replacement. The problem is that I don't know how to access it. Nothing shows in the KDE settings (admin center) nor do I see anything in the application menu. I am currently searching for the relevant documentation...

  [I] kde-plasma/user-manager
      Available versions:  (5) 5.7.5 ~5.8.1
        {debug}
      Installed versions:  5.7.5(5)(14:51:20 10/21/16)(-debug)
      Homepage:            https://www.kde.org/
      Description:         Simple system settings module to manage the users of your system

https://packages.gentoo.org/packages/kde-plasma/user-manager
No binary seems to be installed with this package:
http://www.portagefilelist.de/site/query/listPackageVersions/?category=k...

Comments

#1

augustin - 11/28/2016 - 03:27

#9551: User administration tools in different distributions

#2

augustin - 11/28/2016 - 03:33

I found a lightweight user administration tool in KDE 'system settings' > Personalization > Account details > User manager.
It corresponds to the second screenshot here:
http://askubuntu.com/questions/417499/kubuntu-has-two-different-user-man...
Is it the one corresponding to kde-plasma/user-manager ?
However, I am missing the tool corresponding to the first screenshot in the link above. Would that be the deprecated kuser???

#3

augustin - 11/28/2016 - 03:46

The tool I found in #2 appears to be called 'userconfig' and was developed by Àlex Fiestas afiestas at kde.org , who declined in 2012 adding group management:
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/kubuntu-devel/2012-December/006552.htm...

#4

augustin - 11/28/2016 - 03:53
Tags:+KDE is not dead but quite sick

Apparently kuser was the best user administration tool available, but for some reasons, it was dropped:
https://www.kubuntuforums.net/showthread.php?64984-KDE-User-Management-C...

Since 13.10 we're stuck with the lame User Manager. The old functions are now in kuser but the interface isn't quite as clean as is was and you can't launch it from system settings. Another gnome-ish decision by the KDE devs, IMO.

We are stuck between two paradigms:
- dumbing down the system so that the 'average user' is not intimidated by too many settings (group management) => reduce to the extreme the GUI tool for user management.
- providing flexibility for power users and more complex set ups => forced to go back to the CLI.

I find the CLI to be best for tasks that I perform very regularly. I always have a konsole open where I perform my daily tasks. However, group management is not part of my daily tasks, so I'd rather use a GUI tool, if only to add a user to the 'wheel' group (on gentoo).

#5

augustin - 11/28/2016 - 03:57
Related pages:+9464: No active EOL'ing of major software branches

https://www.kde.org/applications/system/kuser/
https://www.kde.org/applications/system/kuser/development
Development has stopped, but it does not mean it's broken or unusable:
https://cgit.kde.org/kuser.git/

I link to my blog post, because I want to add "No active EOL'ing of working software without any appropriate replacement, with compatible features.

#6

augustin - 11/28/2016 - 04:46

# emerge -a kuser

These are the packages that would be merged, in order:

Calculating dependencies... done!
[ebuild  N    #] kde-apps/kuser-16.04.3  USE="handbook (-aqua) -debug"

The following mask changes are necessary to proceed:
(see "package.unmask" in the portage(5) man page for more details)
# required by kuser (argument)
# /etc/portage/profiles/package.mask:
# Johannes Huber <johu@gentoo.org> (16 Nov 2016)
# Masked for removal in 30 days. Declared as dead by upstream.
# Last release with 16.08.3. Exported to kde-sunset overlay.
=kde-apps/kuser-16.04.3

NOTE: The --autounmask-keep-masks option will prevent emerge
      from creating package.unmask or ** keyword changes.

Would you like to add these changes to your config files? [Yes/No] y