Keeping a PC Personal At School?

Berto Kraus writes "As one of the most tech-oriented students in my art-oriented institution, I'm usually the one with the laptop. This causes frequent requests from other students to read mail, check some site, or connect it to the projector to display a file from their Flash drive. For the sake of my privacy, the health of my laptop, and my own peace of mind, I'm reluctant. But telling my compatriots to go to our building supervisor and ask him for a desktop-on-a-cart, as they should do, is considered rude and unfriendly. Now, I could dual-boot Ubuntu, or carry around a Linux-on-a-stick. Or I could embed the computer in my skull. For many reasons, none of these solutions is ideal. So I'm asking you, insightful and funny Slashdotters, what would you do to keep your PC personal at school?"

Comments

easy.

[l3iggs]

create a guest account.

Re:easy.

[PeterBrett]

create a guest account.

I agree. Note that if you're running a recent version of Fedora, there's a built-in 'xguest' SELinux profile which is completely locked down -- that might interest you, along with the fast user switching.

Re:easy.

[supernova_hq]

Or do what I do. Make your machine super-efficient but very hard to learn. Using my machine is sort of a keyboard-mouse hybrid of vi!

• Use "scale" for app switching, bind it to a hot-corner and disable your taskbar.
• bind another corner to "show desktop"
• bind another corner to "expo"
• launch ALL your applications from gnome-do (using docky in hidden mode).
• put your last remaining panel on the side (vertical)

After a couple days, the shortcuts (especially the hot-corners, trust me) will speed up your efficiency. At the same time, others will be baffled as to what the hell happened when they touched the mouse!

Hint: For fast desktop-switching, you can set it so when you "click" on the left/right of the screen, it rotates.
Note: hot-corners do not need to be clicked, just mouse-over, this makes them very fast and easy to use, but also easy for a newby to hit by accident ;)

Now I know this is all compiz stuff, but MacOSX has some features that are pretty much exactly the same, I know it has hot-corner activated "scale".

Re:easy.

[TOGSolid]

When I was an apprentice in the Merchant Marines, I was one of the few who had a laptop in my dorm packed with games and music and what not. I set up a guest account with a massively long password so that those that wanted to could play the games I had on it while I was out and about on the campus doing whatever. The catch is, is that to use it I charged by the hour and I only let certain people use it so that it didn't get fucked up. Food, soda, and cigarettes were all accepted currency on top of straight cash. I had no issues saying no, and if I was busy saving the day in whatever game I was playing at the time, then too fucking bad. I don't care if you want on, it's my rig.

Start charging for access to use your laptop and don't be afraid to say no. I'm guessing most of those students aren't the smartest people in the world and you don't want one of those airheads busting your laptop after all so be judicious in who you'll let buy time. Remember, the customer is always wrong.

Re:easy.

[Anonymous Coward]

you have a perfect opportunity here to capture passwords.

Re:easy.

[bdsesq]

Better yet. Set up your screen saver with a short delay to show porn.

Then when the porn shows up during their presentation blame them.
They will NEVER ask to use your computer again.

Re:easy.

[psnyder]

I know you were modded funny, but I actually just followed your little "guide" step by step; installing gnome-do, and setting up all the bindings in compiz.

Not because I wanted to obfuscate things for others, but because I'm still fairly new to Linux and it's actually a pretty nice setup. Thanks for the ideas (^_^)

Its all about the wallpaper

[DarkProphet]

I am guessing using goatse as your wallpaper will cut down on the requests.

Re:Its all about the wallpaper

[Anonymous Coward]

This may prove to have the opposite effect you'd expect. We *are* talking about an art school, after all.

*ducks*

Use Dvorak Simplified Keyboard...

[SimonShine]

...and just say "You can try." and smile. :-)

Re:Use Dvorak Simplified Keyboard...

[Phil Urich]

yea then you have to learn dvorak in the first place. God I think the only reason people use that kbrd config is to be an elitist. I taught myself dvorak a few years ago buying into the hype that it was faster...well its not, and this is coming from someone that can do ~100 WPM QWERTY

Uhhhhh....did it never occur to you that your speed and familiarity with QWERTY would be why Dvorak is slower for you? I know my sister types significantly faster with Dvorak than Qwerty; she wasn't terribly fast at Qwerty at the time, nowadays she uses Qwerty about 30% of the time and Dvorak 70% at the time and is at about ~100 WPM on Dvorak but 60 WPM on Qwerty.

Re:Use Dvorak Simplified Keyboard...

[supernova_hq]

with mittens.

*ducks*

Re:Use Dvorak Simplified Keyboard...

[Ihlosi]

the German keyboard swaps Y and Z for no apparent reason.

Compare the frequencies of the letters Y and Z in both English and German, and the reason becomes obvious.

Re:Use Dvorak Simplified Keyboard...

[moranar]

Part of the problem is programmers who don't care about international use (often Americans) and start using symbols that are easy for them to type but uncommon in other countries. That said, lots of European layouts feature gratuitous layout changes; for example, the German keyboard swaps Y and Z for no apparent reason.

That was a hilarious couple of sentences, rebutting in the first one the assumption you make in the second...

Just be paranoid.

[Atlantis-Rising]

I must admit, I've never had this problem. Probably because I have a very long password and I lock my PC whenever I turn my head away from the screen. As long as you're obviously paranoid enough with your PC, chances are, people won't ask you to use it.

Re:Just be paranoid.

[TheWanderingHermit]

This is close to my thoughts. Basically make it visibly and notably hard for them to use. Either use a Linux desktop with things configured in a way that works for you but will confuse them, or use Firefox with No-Script installed so Javascript or other key and important features don't work on their email accounts or anything else that works for you but will make it hard for them. At some point they'll realize it's more of a pain to use your computer than to wait or do something else.

Also, when they complain about some change you've made, like disabling IE so they have to use Firefox, say, "Sorry about that, but I set it up for what works for me and what keeps my data safe. I'm sure if you had your own computer, you'd set it up for you and not other people."

Re:Just be paranoid.

[fractoid]

He's an artist. A fairly techy one but an artist nonetheless. Therefore, acting like a rabid dog every time anyone glances at his computer is probably not a valid option for him, because in his quality matrix, interacting with other people has a decidedly positive weight.

Re:Just be paranoid.

[pz]

He's an artist. A fairly techy one but an artist nonetheless. Therefore, acting like a rabid dog every time anyone glances at his computer is probably not a valid option for him, because in his quality matrix, interacting with other people has a decidedly positive weight.

This is perhaps the most insightful comment on this thread.

And it leads to the real issue: the OP, out of his or her own good heart, is sharing a valuable resource with others. Kudos to them. But the burden of this altruism is becoming worrisome. Fundamentally, this person is providing a service that the institution provides, but badly. The OP needs to speak not with Slashdot, but with the host institution to work out an equitable solution, likely including more readily available institution-owned hardware that resists physical attack (read: theft).

I had a similar situation when in college, as I had a van. One of those huge full-sized vans without windows, a big sliding door, and nothing in the cargo compartment but a thin carpet on the floor. Everyone wanted to borrow my van. Refusing wasn't a morally acceptable option for me. So, what I did was to charge a nominal fee that benefited me, was not onerous to the borrower, and was well below market rates, so I could still feel good about being nice to my friends. For the van, the rate was either one case of beer, or a full tank of gas upon return (depending on the gas level and anticipated travel involved).

If the OP cannot convince the institution to pony up to provide a necessary service for its students, then he should start charging some nominal fee for use of his laptop. Better if it is a barter-based fee, rather than a monetary one. Say, lunch the next day. Or the price of a couple of beers after school. Or a dollop of some important art supply (guache or something). My advice to the OP is to be creative in figuring out what to charge, but charge SOMETHING for the service they are providing, even if only a nominal, token amount.

Finally, since someone is borrowing something of value, the OP also needs to be entirely explicit about the rules surrounding what happens when something goes wrong and the item returns broken. For my van, it was simple: the borrower agreed to cover all costs of repair or damage, period, fully understanding that it was an old van with a relatively high probability of failure. For a laptop, repair usually means replacement, so the borrower needs to understand the liability they are undertaking when borrowing a delicate and expensive bit of kit and explicitly acknowledge it. If not on paper, then verbally, in front of witnesses.

Rude and Unfriendly

[Cabriel]

I'm resistant to letting anyone use my laptop. It's password protected and my roommate, the computer programmer, has commented in disbelief that it's not like he'll ever do anything harmful with it. However, I don't let it stop me.

Look at it from the other side: They're being just as rude, maybe more so. It's rude for your friends to impose their whims on you when you've apparently made it evident enough that you aren't comfortable with letting them all at your machine, willy-nilly.

Guest account with Fast User Switching.

[tpgp]

"As one of the most tech-oriented students

Tech oriented? Why don't you come up with a solution then? This is not a hard problem to solve.

in my art-oriented institution"

Aaaaaaaaah, OK. I see where you're coming from.

The most obvious solution I can think of (assuming you're on XP/Vista) is for you to set up a second user and Fast user switch whenever someone else wants to use your laptop.

Assuming your classmate's technical competence is below yours, that should be adequate security measures.

--

The Captcha is: Lars Traeger is full of shit.

Re:Guest account with Fast User Switching.

[broken_chaos]

And if you're not using Windows, both OSX and many Linux desktop environments integrate something similar. ...Though I suppose I'd have to guess your references to "dual booting Ubuntu" means with Windows, and not alongside another Linux distro or on a Macbook.

Re:Guest account with Fast User Switching.

[sortius_nod]

Or tell them to go fuck themselves.

Honestly, if they need to use it that much why have they not bought their own?

A laptop costs almost nothing compared to most art supplies, if they complain they don't have the cash... ask them how much they paid for their last photo enlargements? In this day and age not having a laptop is like not having a pen. Sure, once in a while when you forget the tool it's cool to borrow, but not having one and always using others is not acceptable.

One thing I usually find most annoying from art students is the attitude that "art supplies" are more important than the tools they use to learn with. I feel it's more about being able to say "I spent $500 making that artwork, respect it!" than actually creating art. Then again, maybe I'm either too cynical, or my priorities are different.

I've been unemployed for extended periods of time (years), but haven't been without a computer since I was 16 (I bought my first computer myself too) - I'm 29 now. I've always considered being connected with the world at large as a vital part of being human, others don't, then again, why are they asking to borrow your laptop?

Goes back to telling them to fuck off... or harden the fuck up. Which ever is more appropriate.

Re:Guest account with Fast User Switching.

[Ralph Spoilsport]

I agree.

Art Schools are the worst for whiny incompetent self absorbed losers with entitlement issues. I should know - I've attended three and have an advanced degree in fine arts. The few people that were "real" are to this day some of my closest friends and colleagues. The rest were fucking morons I couldn't stand then and have no time for now.

If they want something done, they need to take the responsibility to make sure it happens and then GET OFF THEIR LAZY BUTTS and MAKE IT FUCKING HAPPEN.

You don't have to be nice. You don't have to share. And these people need to learn that they need to depend on themselves and be competent on such self-reliance. When they do that, they become better people.

That said, if someone's presentation is fucked because their laptop puked blood and died, then: Yes, you would win big karma points letting them use your machine. But if they're bugging you for your machine to check facebook, they're leeches who should just choke on their own tongues.

RS

Re:Guest account with Fast User Switching.

[wgoodman]

being in the same boat and having the same degree, i can say with all honesty that beyond the first year, art school exists solely to teach you how to bullshit. it's not a matter of what you create, it's how you sell it to the others. hell, look at the dada movement as proof.

Re:Guest account with Fast User Switching.

[SausageOfDoom]

Or even better than switching users, install something like VirtualBox and install the OS of your choice on that, then create a snapshot of your clean OS installation. Disable auto-run for flash drives in your parent OS.

When someone asks to borrow your machine, run the virtual machine, make it full-screen and let them do whatever they want. When they're finished, restore to the snapshot of the clean installation.

Very minimal risk of your main OS being compromised by malware, and no access to your files and browsing history, unless they figure out how to get out of it - but even then I assume you'll be with your machine at all times to monitor usage. Otherwise, as the rest of the thread says, run virtualbox in a different user account to stop access to your files.

Re:Guest account with Fast User Switching.

[Ash Vince]

A laptop costs almost nothing compared to most art supplies, if they complain they don't have the cash... ask them how much they paid for their last photo enlargements?

Or even better, ask them how much they spent on booze last term.

In fact, the best solution to this is not to tell them they cannot use your PC, the best solution is to start charging a fair hourly rate for laptop rent. This will probably cover the cost of a new laptop just to rent out in next to no time.

This is perfectly fair as your time in providing a working laptop is probably far more valuable than the laptop itself and they are putting ware and tear on your laptop anyway. If you are going to put in a load of additional time in order to secure it so it can be a shared resource, then you certainly deserve monetary compensation for your time.

That is how the capitalist world we live in works. It makes sense for your fellow students to learn this as soon as possible since they will all have to join the real world sooner or later unless they plan on trying to find a country that still works on a gift economy.

Re:Guest account with Fast User Switching.

[Ihlosi]

In other words it's exactly like business school

Maybe, but in art you still need to create _something_.

Re:Guest account with Fast User Switching.

[commodore64_love]

All of ye have given good technical answers, and they would most-likely work, but I think ye overlooked the most practical solution:

"No."

It's the same answer I give if someone asks if they can drive my $15,000 car, or if they can borrow my $5000 diamond ring, or if they can wear my $1000 suit. No, no, no. A laptop is not a toy; it's a huge investment in both money and time (approximately 1.5 months of hell, err work). And I would explain that to the asker: "If it breaks, are you willing to give me two thousand dollars to get a new one?" Probably not. If it's something trivial like checking wikipedia.com then sure I'll share my laptop, but for something major like doing a presentation on the projection screen, forget it. Let them use the school-provided resources and/or buy their own laptop.

Re:Guest account with Fast User Switching.

[Zemran]

So a gay porn screen saver with a short delay would be great... The wanna be macho guys would leave it alone and the girls would "trust" you :-D

Easy reply

[Anonymous Coward]

Sharing laptops is like sharing toothbrushes.

art school

[RuBLed]

and give them a nice carebear hug everytime they borrow it.

VM

[OpenSourced]

Virtual Machines suggest themselves. Do everything school-related in a VM and reset it from time to time. Also, in my experience, art-oriented institutions are choked full of hot chicks, so stop complaining and try to see this as an opportunity. Computer malware is not the only think that you can interchange with a dumb coed, you know.

A better way

[bmo]

"For the sake of my privacy, the health of my laptop, and my own peace of mind, I'm reluctant."

As you should be.

"But telling my compatriots to go to our building supervisor and ask him for a desktop-on-a-cart, as they should do, is considered rude and unfriendly."

But you aren't the community PC guy, are you? You are being /used/. Not even mentioning your privacy or possibility of OS infection, what if someone simply drops the machine? I suspect you won't be able to get anyone to pay for the repair or replacement, as they are unwilling to get their own. If this keeps going on, you are going to have a broken computer /and/ a lot of resentment aimed at your so-called friends. This might sound harsh to you, but it is reality.

There is a solution to this, however. If your group is cohesive enough, maybe each can contribute to the acquisition of a "group computer." This is how the real world works, especially if you are acquainted with the concept of the "office group owned coffee pot and coffee kitty." Same concept. Those who contribute get to use the computer/coffee pot/whatever.

But if you continue on the current path you are on, it can only end badly.

--
BMO

Re:Sharing is bad

[clarkkent09]

Get a friend to pass around a rumor that he caught you watching a porn clip and masturbating onto the keyboard. Nobody will ask for it anymore.

Virtual Terminal

[Sir_Lewk]

Switch to a VT and tell them that only paying customers can use X.

Let them use a virtual machine!

[Terje Mathisen]

I've solved this problem by having a Win XP virtual machine: I put this machine on a second monitor (or external projector) and then I don't have to worry at all about the host OS being messed up.

Alternatively I can make it fullscreen on the primary/only screen.

Terje

Sticky keys

[jassa]

Open up a bunch of porn sites, and then hand it over to them, but warn them that the keys might be a bit sticky.

Re:Art school or no...

[clarkkent09]

go to our building supervisor and ask him for a desktop-on-a-cart

Who needs laptops when they have desktops on a cart! When I was young all we had were mainframes on a horse. We had to go down to the stables every time we wanted to check our email. Kids these days...

Seriously though, wtf. Tell them to get their own laptop and teach your art school about laptops too. Tell them they are kind of like desktops on carts but a lot more convenient.

Re:Appropriate?

[sortius_nod]

I think you've missed the point. These people are asking to use his laptop in class. If I'm not using my machine at home I don't expect some random I barely know to rock up and ask to use it. Why should it be any different at university/collage/school?

It really is a case of people learning to deal with either not having the tool or getting their own (fuck off or harden the fuck up).

Turning this into a "socialise with physical beings" debate is very silly, kind of like telling someone who doesn't want to lend a pen out to spend more time with their lecturer.

So wait a second

[osgeek]

So you're basically saying that you're at a school full of girls that you don't know how to say "no" to but you're afraid that they might accidentally open up your pron folder?

Is that about right?

Err, friends? I don't think so.

[pyrr]

I'm not sure that "friends" is the appropriate word here. People who are kind enough to beg the OP to use his stuff because they're too lazy or stupid to buy their own are generally not "friends", they're sponges. What's the likelihood they'd do him favors in return when he's in need? Do they hang out with him after class and help him with his work a lot? Or are they just cordial to him and his best pal in the world when they need something from him and otherwise he may as well not exist? If so, they're sponges. If the willingness to be used by sponges is a mark of good social graces, I don't see a problem with being at the bottom of that social pecking order. There are only certain situations involving social politics where it might be to one's advantage to do so.

That said, there's a place for social gifting. If someone has a desperate need and you help them out, that's an entirely different thing. Your generosity is still a scarce resource that will be appreciated and not assumed or taken-advantage of. If someone really is a friend, it's appropriate to share since generosity is mutual. But for people who just want to take advantage and use your stuff so they don't have to buy and maintain their own, "Sorry, can't help you there," is an appropriate answer, especially if there's --any-- chance you'd lose a non-trivial amount of time and money due to what might someone might do to the item they wish to borrow, and you don't have a reasonable expectation that they'd make it right in such an event.

The real hassle is driving projectors

[Animats]

Every time I go to some big conference, there's a clusterfuck as someone tries to get their laptop to talk to the projector.

If you lend your machine out for that sort of thing, make very sure that autorun is turned off for all external media. Someone is going to put in a CD or a USB stick that has something on it that will try to autorun.

Incidentally, if you're giving a talk, have everything set up in advance. When the projector turns on, your first slide should be up. Not a Windows desktop. Not a PowerPoint slide tray. Not "New updates are available for your computer." And especially not "Low Battery". That's amateurish. I used to have a housemate who was a roadie for rock groups, a stage rigger, and also did event setup at Stanford. She insisted presentations run like theatrical performances; any prep work takes place out of sight of the audience. If you're in art school, definitely learn to do this right.