Messing around as Administrator

[thewhitehart]

As a new ibook user I've read a few blogs telling me I shouldn't use an admin account as my primary one; that I should make myself a standard user on my own system.

I think this might be a good idea because yesterday I accidentally moved the mac system folder to my desktop. What would happen if I did this? Would the computer restart properly? Would other users still be able to use it? Just curious, I like messing around with stuff.

How many people do have a seperate standard account for themselves rather than using an admin account?

 

[swindmill]

I've always used my admin account but would also be interested in hearing thoughts on this

 

[slooksterPSV]

As a new ibook user I've read a few blogs telling me I shouldn't use an admin account as my primary one; that I should make myself a standard user on my own system.

I think this might be a good idea because yesterday I accidentally moved the mac system folder to my desktop. What would happen if I did this? Would the computer restart properly? Would other users still be able to use it? Just curious, I like messing around with stuff.

How many people do have a seperate standard account for themselves rather than using an admin account?

Standard account / Admin - depends. If you do anything that requires Administrative action, on both accounts it requires confirmation from an admin, so yes you can set it up like that - although System Preferences, under Admin, are automatically enabled so you can change them. As for moving files and folder, when I created a standard account for my sister, she couldn't access the Hard drive, just applications in the Applications folder. I'm on the account I create - Admin - when I firstly installed Panther. It may be good practice if you ruin something accidently. I myself, if I ruin something I fix it up like *snap* that. It just depends on how you feel. Practice wise? I dunno.

 

[schatten]

I don't think an admin can do any devistating damage, from my experience as an Apple technician. Even if a user has little grasp of how their system works, OS 10 will ward off any blatently dangerous mistakes.

Now, activating & using a Root account as your normal account might be a little more dangerous. I wouldn't recommend that. That could get ugly.

 

[thewhitehart]

I'm going into all sorts of speculation because I'm not used to having an os work as perfectly as this one does. I'm so used to windows screwing up that I'm subconsciously looking for ways to screw up my mac so I can have a reason to fix it

I agree with slookster. If you're computer savvy, even as a new mac user, go ahead using the administrator account. Especially if you're familiar with unix. Even if you use an admin account, it'll ask you for a password anyway if you attempt to move something important of affect any drastic changes. The only thing I found by using an administrator account is it will not ask you for a password if you attempt to move applications out of the application folder to somewhere else. I also discovered that you cannot move the System folder in the traditional way of dragging and dropping; it will always default to making a copy. In unix terms, it will not let you move an item as an administrator if the group permissions is set to "wheel" by just simply dragging it. (Of course, you can change the permissions for group). You can move other users folders, even though you do not fall into their permissions group, but it will prompt for a password.

 

[jsw]

In over three years of using OS X on many different Macs, I have always used an admin account and have never screwed anything up, even while using it when tired, drunk, angry, distracted, etc.

Perhaps I'm innately cautious. But, honestly, I think it's hard to inadvertently screw things up.

It's probably safer to not use an admin account normally. But, for most people, I doubt it really matters.