Re: A new user management tool

[Dan Winship <dwinship redhat com>]

Matthias Clasen wrote:
> The main dialog

Looks too much like the OS X one, particularly in the way that "Login
Options" is in a place where it doesn't make sense. :)

> The Email, Language and Location fields are here because they are
> frequently useful...

I assume "Location" will tie in in some way with the improved
Location/Time Zone stuff?

> The password dialog

An alternate UI possibility would be to autogenerate a few passwords of
different strength levels and put them directly in the actions list:

    Choose a password now
    Choose a password at next login
    Use this random password: zintelforb
    Use this random password: fas42Br0x
    Use this random password: y8Tx$mrA
    Allow login without a password

I don't think "Disable this account" belongs in the password dialog,
even though that's how it's implemented underneath.

> We've discussed ways to generate useful hints to go along with generated 
> passwords, including somewhat crazy ideas like computer­generated poetry
> (cf gnoetry).

Hm... how could that work though? Without knowing at least one "secret"
about the user besides their password, how can you autogenerate a hint
that will make sense to them (when they've forgotten their password),
but not make just as much sense to anyone else?

"Sites where people use randomly-generated passwords" and "sites that
allow password hints" are probably mostly orthogonal anyway.

-- Dan