Multiple accounts, no passwords

hey!
i’m setting up a laptop for a family, who’d like to have their own user accounts, but no need for a password at login. they don’t have locks on their bedrooms either, is the logic behind it :slight_smile:
i’ve installed the latest gnome-manjaro, but can’t find the right setting.
if i toggle automatic login there’s no way to enter the other accounts, so that’s not what i’m looking for.

so, the question: is there a setting where you can choose your account on startup, without having to enter passwords?

It’s not impossible but rather complicated to set up a UNIX like system with multiple accounts but with no passwords.

I wouldn’t bother trying this - many difficulties …

Rather, I’d take the “philosophical” approach, the “logic behind it” as you called it
and actually implement it like in the analogy of the “no locks on the bedrooms”.

Use different accounts - like normal
but with a password that everyone knows, and/or that is the same for all.

It’s like a door with a door knob you have to turn to open it - but you don’t need a key.
And, of course, should one on occasion decide to want to lock the door - they can (by changing the password).

Much easier.

Short answer: No, I’m afraid not.

Long answer: You can have one account logging in automatically upon booting without needing to enter a password, and then have those people all use that same account. You could make this into a kiosk-type guest account.

Passwordless login accounts are however not supported, for obvious reasons.

Nope

Why? Indeed an obvious question - after all Windows does it.

GNU/Linux was born as a multi-user networked system and as such access control and permissions is a crucial and vital part.

This part cannot be disabled - that is why the answer to the above question is - No.

1 Like

There is a simple solution:

Let everyones password be his name

(they will not forget it)

  • Set all users to belong to the same group
  • Set default file-permission to be readable by this group
  • You could also give the write permissions to the group, but that allows for some shenanigans. There are also programs that do not tolerate this. And it’s possible to accidentally delete each other’s data.
    I wouldn’t allow that as sysadmin!

well, thanks everyone! at least i know i can stop digging now :slight_smile: