6.15. Adding a user

GNU/Linux is a multiuser system, and this means that each user can have his own preferences, his own files and so on. You can read the User Guide to learn more. But unlike root, which is the administrator, the users which you will add here will not be entitled to change anything except their own files and their own configuration. You will have to create at least one regular user for yourself. That account is where you should log in for routine use. Although it is very practical to log in as root everyday, it may also be very dangerous! The slightest mistake could mean that your system would not work any more. If you make a serious mistake as a regular user, you may only lose some information, but not the entire system.

Figure 6-25. Create a regular user

First you have to enter your real name. This is not mandatory, of course -- as you can actually enter whatever you want. DrakX will then take the first word you have entered in the box and will bring it over to the User name. This is the name that this particular user will use to log into the system. You can change it. You then have to enter a password here. A non-privileged (regular) user's password is not as crucial as that of root from a security point of view, but that is no reason to neglect it -- after all, they are your files at risk.

If you click on Accept user, you can then add as many as you want. Add a user for each of your friends: your father or your sister, for example. When you have added all the users you want, select Done.


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