Multiple Users

This page is out of date

v0.99.10 and above

The old multiuser support has been dropped in Pluckeye v0.99.10 and above. It has been replaced with the simpler ability to simply apply a whiteout to specific users. 

pluck + allow user:susan
pluck + allow user:\\paravel\polly
pluck + when 8-11 allow user:lucy

v0.98.15 and below

The information on this page is out of date. It applied to Pluckeye 0.98.15 and below.

The remainder of this page is retained for historical interest.

Overview

By default, Pluckeye settings are shared amongst all Pluckeye users on a computer. But per-user settings, also called personal settings, may be enabled as well. When a Pluckeye user does not have personal settings, the shared settings are used to determine access. On the same computer some users may use shared settings, while others use personal settings.

This means that by default if Peter adds a whiteout rule on a computer Susan also uses, the same rule applies to Susan automatically, and vice versa. If Peter wants his own private rules, he should enable personal settings for himself.

Windows-specific prerequisite: all users install Pluckeye.

See the windows scenarios below for explanation.

Shared

When a user has shared settings, all Internet access checks are done using the shared settings, and all changes made to Pluckeye settings change the shared settings. For such a user, any whitelisting done through Firefox or Chrome, or any pluck commands run on the command line will change the shared settings. E.g., if executed by a user with shared settings, the following command will add "allow foo.com" to the shared settings: 

pluck add "allow foo.com"
pluck user shared add "allow foo.com" # this would do the same

Personal

Settings may also be personal rather than shared.

When a user has personal settings, all Internet access checks are done using the personal settings, and all changes made to Pluckeye settings change the personal settings.

The first time a user is explicitly named on the command line after "pluck user NAME init", personal settings are created for the user. So, to enable personal settings for a user, do the following,

on Windows: 

C:\> pluck user %USERNAME% init

on Linux and Mac OS X: 

pluck user $(whoami) init

For example, the following will create settings for peter: 

pluck user peter init

After personal settings have been created for a user, the user may no longer use shared settings. However, the user may still change shared settings by explicit reference to the shared user. E.g., the following command will change the shared user settings and not the personal user settings. 

pluck user shared add "allow foo.com"

Scenarios

The following scenarios describe how to setup a machine with multiple users for use with Pluckeye.

Windows

Multiuser setup on Windows is complicated by the fact that each user must install Pluckeye for Firefox integration. This paragraph does not apply to Chrome. This prerequisite is unique to Windows because of Mozilla rules regarding Firefox addons.

If any user has already set the installation level to 2, then other users will be unable to download or install Pluckeye unless a whiteout is in effect. Oops! Hence, the order of installation operations is extra sensitive on Windows.

  • Note on non-administrative users

    For each user that is to have Pluckeye-specific settings, temporarily make them an administrator of the computer so that each can run the Pluckeye installer. After Pluckeye is installed, then you may remove the Administrator access from the standard users. Running the installer with the credentials of another user will not result in a complete installation for the non-administrator.

    1. If Pluckeye is already installed, set the delay to 0 and the level to 1. 
      pluck set "delay 0"
echo you may need to wait for any preexisting delay to elapse before the next command
pluck set "level 1"
    2. Make Peter an Administrator.
    3. Log Peter out of the computer if he was already logged in.
    4. Log Peter in.
    5. As Peter, run the Pluckeye installer.
    6. Log Peter out.
    7. Make Peter a standard user.
    8. Repeat steps 2-7 for every user on the computer.
    9. As an Administrator, set the level to 2.
    10. As Peter, log in and use Pluckeye like normal.
  • Scenario 1: Peter uses Pluckeye at installation level 1, Susan does not use Pluckeye
    1. Peter: Install Pluckeye.
  • Scenario 2: Peter and Susan both use Pluckeye at installation level 1
    1. Peter: Install Pluckeye, and leave at level 1 so that Susan can install Pluckeye.
    2. Susan: Install Pluckeye.
  • Scenario 3: Peter and Susan both use Pluckeye at installation level 2
    1. Peter: Install Pluckeye, and leave at level 1 so that Susan can install Pluckeye.
    2. Susan: Install Pluckeye.
    3. Peter or Susan: Set Pluckeye to level 2 (in Firefox or Chrome or via `pluck set "level 2"`).
  • Scenario 4: Peter uses Pluckeye at installation level 2, Susan at installation level 1

    This can't be done.

  • Scenario 5: Peter uses Pluckeye at installation level 2, but Susan does not want to use Pluckeye

    See inconspicuous setup.

Linux and Mac OS X

  • Scenario 6: Peter uses Pluckeye at installation level 1, Susan does not use Pluckeye
    1. Peter: Install Pluckeye
    2. Susan: Disable Pluckeye in about:addons
  • Scenario 7: Peter and Susan both use Pluckeye at installation level 1
    1. Peter: Install Pluckeye.
  • Scenario 8: Peter and Susan both use Pluckeye at installation level 2
    1. Peter: Install Pluckeye.
    2. Peter or Susan: Set Pluckeye to installation level 2.
  • Scenario 9: Peter uses Pluckeye at level 2, but Susan does not want to use Pluckeye

    See inconspicuous setup.

How to setup Pluckeye inconspicuously

Some users of Pluckeye would like other users of the same computer to not be aware of Pluckeye. As of version 0.28.0, this may be accomplished by executing the commands below.

In the example, the person wanting to use Pluckeye is named Peter, and the other computer user is named Susan. Peter wants to use Pluckeye, but without alerting Susan to the fact. So, he creates a personal rule set for Susan that contains a whiteout rule.

On Windows

  • Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7
    C:\> pluck user Susan init
C:\> pluck user Susan add whiteout

    If Peter is concerned he might use the Guest account to bypass Pluckeye, he should probably also do the following to create his own personal settings and put a 2 hour delay in the shared settings (which the guest account would use): 

    C:\> pluck user Peter init
C:\> pluck user shared set "delay 2 hours"
  • Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows 10

    Pluckeye does not yet support an inconspicuous setup for Windows 8, 8.1, or 10.

On Linux

pluck user susan init
pluck user susan add whiteout

Hiding the Pluckeye button

In Chrome, right-click the Pluckeye browser-toolbar button and choose "Hide button". In Firefox, you right-click it and choose "Remove from Toolbar".

– https://www.reddit.com/r/pluckeye/comments/69xipm/inconspicuous_multiuser_mode_and_the_pluckeye/

How do I open a console to type commands?

See how-to-open-a-console-window.html.