Text 51322, 79 rader
Skriven 2008-11-21 19:18:23 av Alan Zisman (1:123/789.0)
  Kommentar till text 51307 av Jean Parrot (1:123/789.0)
Ärende: UAC revisited.
======================
Jean Parrot -> Alan Zisman wrote:
 JP> Alan wrote:


 AZ>> I get UAC prompts all the time-- after installing software, I
 JP> typically
 AZ>> delete desktop icons that duplicate items in the start menu, and
 AZ>> re-arrange the start menu items, putting them into categorized
 JP> folders.
 AZ>> If the icons are in the All User desktop or startmenu folders, this
 AZ>> triggers UAC warnings-- the whole process is much slower than it has
 AZ>> been under earlier Windows versions.

 JP>     We all run our systems in different ways, I did get a few UAC flags.
 JP> I think, no proof, that once allowed, the flag is not repeated. Can you
 JP> expand on this ? I have removed some icons too from the desktop and this
 JP> elusive IE one, no more UAC on this one.

There is a complication in the way Windows works with multiple-users-- an
option with WIN9x versions, and always the case in WinNT/2000/XP/Vista
systems-- even if there's only a single user.

In order to accomodate multiple-users, 'under the hood', there are desktop and
start menu folders for each user, and an 'all user' desktop and start menu
folders. Items in the 'all user' folders are, as the name suggests, accessible
to all users, while items in the individual user folders are accessible only to
that user.

Some software installers let the user specify whether to install for just the
single user or for all users. Most don't, however, and few let the user know
whether they are going to install for everyone or just that one user.

If you are the only one using your computer, in most cases, you won't notice...
but with Vista, you can make changes to your desktop and start menu without
triggering a UAC event, but you can't make the same changes to the All Users
desktop or start menu without UAC intervening. I imagine the justification is
that changing an All User icon affects other users-- even if there aren't any.

As a result, you can delete, move, or rename SOME desktop or start menu icons--
the ones that behind the scenes are in your person desktop or start menu
folders, but if you try to do the same thing to other, apparently identical
icons-- the ones in the ALL USERS folders-- you trigger a UAC warning.

Are you confused yet?

 AZ>> As I said, enough users have found this enough of an annoyance that
 JP> MS,
 AZ>> to their credit, have done a better job of it with the upcoming Win7--
 AZ>> where the default is to limit UAC to real 'attempts at damaging the
 AZ>> system', ignoring attempts by Alan to tidy up his desktop and start
 JP> menu.
 AZ>> So on this one, Microsoft seems to be agreeing with the critics.

 JP>     Enough users have thin skin too and will bitch at anything. I keep
 JP> telling my supported group that this is a GOOD thing and then the
 JP> complaints drop drastically. After all, how long does it take to read
 JP> the message of the "trigger" and then to allow it ?


It certainly isn't a big deal to click through the UAC notices... having them
happen too often, for basically trivial and random-seeming events is a big
problem however... what it does is train the user that these notices, while
annoying, and meaningless... so users learn to click them away without reading
the content. As a result, should they get a UAC warning for an actual security
issue, the likelihood is high that the UAC warning won't be as effective as if
it only happened for a real emergency.

(Think of "The Boy Who Cried Wolf").

The equivalent Mac, Linux, (and apparently Windows 7) warnings are much rarer--
and as a result are, I suspect, paid more attention.

-- 
==================================
- email: alan (at) zisman (dot) ca
- website: http://www.zisman.ca

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