[SOLVED] Windows Term for It: Copying Current Profile to Default Profile
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What does this mean? Create new user means just that. Then you need to look in that user's homedir to see the permissions, owner and group used on the files and directories put there by useradd, and/or created by that user after its logging in.
Sorry I misunderstood at first. I tried a newly logged on user, which would copy that default directory I haven't modified yet, and setup new files for the user. I checked it's permissions. I was right that the permissions were wrong. I changed the permissions, and then logged on with the user I'm trying to copy to, currently.
That brings up two questions: How, from Linux command line, can you copy files, and copy their permissions too, but not exactly, where in the case of copying from home to home, it would change the permissions to the new home directory user. I mean in one step, with a recursive and maybe forced copy. Why? I commonly forget to change permissions after copy like in this case. It'd be nice to be able to do it in one foul swoop, so I don't forget, but only when I tell it to do so. I don't want to know a GUI way yet, as in cases like I'm trying to do here, it's not the easiest way.
Second, it still didn't seem to work, unless individual files have their permissions somehow wrong or something. I checked with an overview, but since there's maybe 100 files, it's hard to check every file.
I know I'm trying to copy more than YOU TOLD ME required for it to work. I was doing that on purpose, because it's ok to have the whole behavior, except for giving the user more permissions on the system. But since it still didn't work, I'm at a loss still.
Would the folks specifically at the Linux Mint forums know more than this general community, perhaps? Or is the problem that I'm copying too much? Or something else perhaps?
I see some GUI options I haven't messed with yet, but I don't know if they are what I'm looking for, or if they are perhaps the only way to accomplish the swap. Part of the reason, I didn't mess with the GUI, is because it doesn't look like it even tries to do a complete swap.
I might have to understand all the code to really figure out exactly which files, as far as which ones are needed exactly, I'm thinking. While learning all the code, how it works, is a goal, I'm a long ways from being able to do it.
OK, according to that, you can use a command called dconf. Don't know what it does under the hood, but it seems to work just fine for most settings. I say most, because it didn't quite get them all.
First thing, is my top panel. It looks like the picture below, ignoring the files you may see. Notice the top bar, because that's what isn't quite working.
Other than that, on my main desktop, I wish the workspace switcher was on the left, but otherwise it's ok. It's ok with me, for now, to live with it on the right. But I really would like the new users to have the stuff on the left.
Everything else is great, except new users don't get the same wallpaper as I have. I can create a shell script in the skel, that autostarts, and sets to default settings upon first boot. It's a fairly simple shell script, if running the dconf command is about it.
Should I leave it, and manually require a user to setup the rest? Or is there a way to grab it all? Don't know yet, but I have an idea... Requiring a user to do setup is not a great thing, that's for sure.
So, I know the windows term for it, which is as it is in the title. But, in the case of the cinnamon desktop on Linux Mint, now it's the most recent version, I want to know how to do the same thing.
Let me explain better: I have a look and feel I'm happy with. That's not to say, I won't make changes later, but until I discover a better way, in which I'm more productive with things, I want my desktop the way it is. I'm on cinnamon desktop, on Linux Mint.
Two problems: I'd really like my workspace switcher applets to be back on the left of the top panel. I made a mistake while turning them into simple buttons, and now for some reason they are stuck on the right side. Minor issue, but if I could resolve it, I'm a bit happier.
Second problem: Other than that, I'm completely happy with it for now. But the problem? For each of my users, as I may need to use other users sometimes, on the same desktop, I would really like them to look the same. I would like each new user created on this system, or all the users in general, who are currently using this system, to automatically get all the same settings I have in the cinnamon desktop. I don't want to block them from making any changes they want, including when it's my own user. But I want the default look and feel to be exactly as I have it (minus that one change, if possible).
This would be good, given that most users will actually be me with different permission levels. I should note, that I am logged into a Windows domain on this PC, as I have the instructions for.
I don't want to give them all the same permission, whether on or off the domain, but I DO want them all to have the same look and feel, unless that user (even if me), chooses to change it.
I know how in general, Linux works for configuration, also as opposed to Windows. I know that in Linux, you can copy some files and it will have the same settings, in general. So it must be a matter of finding where the settings are stored, and copying them. But I don't even know where to look for that information.
I made most of the changes, by pointing and clicking. It's not that I can't understand it other ways, but I'm only beginning to learn this distribution. I've made it my new goal, in Linux life, to become an expert, as much as Windows knowlege I have, while still furthering Windows knowlege, in this specific distribution, latest version, as applied to the desktop. But I have to start somewhere. Again, it's Linux Mint with Cinnamon Desktop.
I also want to become and expert in the server realm, as applied to servers I need in my house, and might need in a business, using Mageia Linux and SuSe Linux, latest working versions, and also, maybe Linux Mint on server too. Mostly KDE or LXDE for servers.
Just wanted to let you know those goals. But as for the question, please let me know, if it is that simple or anything. I could make my changes one more time, if I had to, for my special "desktop" user, which is meant to be for that purpose. But if I don't need to, I won't. I have that user because of the way Windows works, where that action can cause permission changes sometimes, if done incorrectly. Please teach me, if anyone knows. I also don't know how to search for it, when it's not specific enough. If you could teach me that, so I have less questions I need people to answer, great too! Thanks!
I think this is a really interesting and important discussion.
It is, only reason I haven't worked on it more, is because my domain join is first priority, though I'm regularly checking everything, like this. Only reason domain join is first priority, is I can't even try to switch to my new computer and this doesn't matter as much, without that switch. I MUST have domain joined to move on.
Now, for a few days I've been caught up with other stuff. I've needed to do those other things, instead of working on these problems. I have a lot of responsibilities, trying to reduce some, without moving out of my place. As far as how that's going, I've needed to spend some time I would like to spend programming, creating my language, on migrating to my machine. If it was company already, that would be time wasted on non-vital business functions, yet is vital to being able to do vital business functions. I would lose some money from it.
OK. Domain join done. I know how to do it. That was the first part of making my new machine. Now, this is the second part. I need to try to copy all my settings for the GUI from one machine, to another now. I almost have this ready to do too, but since not completely, I'm picking up from where I left off. Time to copy the settings, so the new machine "looks and feels" right.
If I do this, then I will have a brand new, working machine. There's lots of things that could be better, but it will work fine, at that point.
Some of the things I want to do soon, are to rewire my network properly, and to make the suggested changes to my domain controller. Then I want to work on my other servers, and bring them more up to date. However, this step is the most important one now, to copy the look and feel.
After research, for those that don't know, dconf seems to be a tool for gnome settings. Whether it's around in later versions, unknown. But since cinnamon is based off of gnome, it inherited this tool.
It's a little bit like the windows registry, but for gnome, to my understanding, except it only stores configuration for gnome, with mostly visible settings, NOT everything to configure.
My only problem now, is I haven't gotten it to copy ALL look & feel settings, just some. My panel comes out configured wrong. I read about .cinnamon directory, which might need to be copied too. I'm going to be able to check these things, tommorrow, after some sleep.
OK. I changed at least the wallpaper, in march, got bored of the other one. Going all out for this problem now, if there's a way to solve it. Sorry for thumbnails, but it's the best way to show these.
This is the look I'm now going for.
Last edited by des_a; 04-23-2023 at 06:23 PM.
Reason: Forgot to identify picture.
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