Fast User Switching

i have a G4 powermac 933 mghz with 1.25gb ram :) and geforce 4 mx :) (screen resolution 1280*1024)

i just tried the user switching.
acount x- apps open: dvd player playin 'the time machine', ical, isync, iphoto, and other apps....

i switch to acount y and the cube effect is very smooth and very very fast and the dvd player keeps on playin in the other acount (you can hear the audio)

in acount y i open up the same usual apps + the Final Matrix Reloaded trailer high quality (around 1000* ... resolution ).. and once i do that i switch back to acount x. the cube effect once again is very smooth and extremely fast.

conclusion: the fast user switching is indeed very fast (at least on a g4)
 
Just thought you all might like to know this...

Fast user switching, as it is implemented, grants full memory and CPU access to background users. This means that if you are running a render with user 1 and you switch to user 2, user 1 still uses the same resources it did before.

I'm not sure this has been noted before, but thought you all should know that there is no change in nice level, etc. for background users.
 
How is that on Windows XP? Are their tasks freezed or do they continue to run? This would be an interesting point for arguments about 'copying & IMPROVING' features...
 
I've just checked that with my colleagues. Seems like Windows does, basically, the same thing... :/
 
That's a whole other question.... do you WANT things running in the background? It's nice if you want to render stuff while somebody else just checks email.... but it's bad if they, TOO, are going to be using the CPU hardcore.... maybe that should be an option... you could set it either way.... to have background user states frozen, or running.
 
I hope they make the transition style user selectable as a preference. I think the twirl transition from Keynote would be kind of cool.
 
Hmm... The cube effect is much more than just that (an effect), it actually gives you a threedimensional idea of what's happening. You can imagine that the last user's desktop is still running, just put aside. It's the perfect effect for this. I've stunned the Windows personnel at tech support yesterday with it. ;)

"I've never really thought about 'fast user switching' before. Now it kinda makes ... real sense."
 
Originally posted by fryke
Hmm... The cube effect is much more than just that (an effect), it actually gives you a threedimensional idea of what's happening. You can imagine that the last user's desktop is still running, just put aside. It's the perfect effect for this. I've stunned the Windows personnel at tech support yesterday with it. ;)

"I've never really thought about 'fast user switching' before. Now it kinda makes ... real sense."

...Expose, multi Transparent videos and DVD, Transparent Windows under VPC, MIP, Genie, etc. all at the same time, make Windows users (and Linux too) to drop their jaws... HARD! :p :D

;)
 
Hey, Hulkaros, that post actually DID deserve a "BOOM!" at the end!

heheh. First time a showed a PC weenie the Geenie effect, his jaw dropped. It was a good day. :D
 
Hoi pipeloi!
how do you turn of passwords. i would like to able to switch between users without having to enter the password, just like steve did!
 
Decado, i believe if your user account has a password, it'll ask for one. If you don't want the prompt, remove your accounts password! ... ;)
 
On a B&W machine with G4 upgrade and stock 16MB video card Fast User Switches give no visual hoopla at all. It just switches... BOOM!
 
What happens if one user tries to shut down the computer and another user has open/unsaved documents? Would the computer just shutdown or would it time out because a save dialog on another window didn't let it quit?
 
Originally posted by arden
So can anyone post a screenshot of the FUS in media res?

Nope. But you could take a screenshot of user 1's desktop, then one of use 2's, then go into Keynote and put a cube transition inbetween to see what happens. (cube turning to left or right, depending on alphabetical order of usernames.)
 
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