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Chapter 9 Client Management Overview 149
Customizing the User Experience
You manage a network user’s work environment by defining preferences—settings that
customize and control the user’s computer experience.
There are two panes in Workgroup Manager Preferences: Overview and Details. To
manage predefined system preferences, use the Overview pane. To manage
preferences for any application or utility that has a preference manifest, use the Details
pane.
The Overview pane is identical for users and groups, but additional items (Energy Saver
and Time Machine) appear for computers and computer groups.
Many factors, including user responsibilities and security issues, determine what
computer work environment is most suitable for a user. In some cases, setting up
informal usage guidelines may be sufficient. In other cases, tightly controlling the
computer experience may be necessary, with each setting defined and each
application controlled. The preferences you define should use Mac OS X capabilities
that best support your user and your business requirements.
The Power of Preferences
Many preferences, such as Dock and Finder preferences, customize the appearance of
the desktop. For example, you can set up Dock and Finder preferences so the user’s
work environment is simplified by including only essential applications and key folders
in the Dock.
Other preferences manage what users can access and control. For example, you can set
up Media Access preferences to prevent users from burning CDs and DVDs or making
changes to a computer’s internal disk.
The following table summarizes how preferences affect the appearance of the desktop,
and the activities a user can perform.
This preference
Tailors the work
environment
Limits access
and control
By letting you manage
Applications % Applications a user can open
Classic % Classic environment startup
Dock % Appearance and contents of the Dock
Energy Saver % Startup, shutdown, wake, sleep, and
performance settings
Finder %%Appearance of desktop icons and Finder
elements
Login % Login experience
Media Access % Ability to use recordable media
Mobility % Creation of mobile accounts