Mail Application security/access

[wapstar]

I am looking to restrict access to Apple Mail

Within 10.3.5 is there a way to restrict access to an application?
Other people need to use my computer at times but I want to be able to quit Apple Mail and then require a password to open and run Mail. I know I can require a password to send ansd recieve mail but there is still access to the existing mail in the open app.

Is this possible with out creating OSX user accounts?

 

[Pengu]

That is the whole point of user accounts.

 

[bobw]

Get Info (Command-I) change permissions.

 

[Pengu]

I don't think that will work bob...

if he has permission to change the permissions, nothing to stop the other people changing them back.

 

[bobw]

Not without the password.

 

[Pengu]

true... but it still seems like a lot of work (changing permissions whenever he wants to read email!?) where user accounts works quite well...

 

[ElDiabloConCaca]

Not without the password.

..which would require them to have a different account. If you can change permissions on an application under a specific user, then a password will not be required to change them back under that same user. We're trying to avoid having to create more users.

Which, goes back to Pengu's statement that this is exactly what user accounts are for -- I understand it's difficult for people to grasp coming from the days of OS 7/8/9.

You don't need to create accounts for every user that hops on the computer -- you can create one and name it "Other People" or something like that (stay away from "guest" -- that's reserved) and let ALL other people other than yourself use that account, and restrict access to Mail for just that one account. Then, enable fast-user switching, and they can access their account even if you're still logged in.

OS X inherits UNIX-behavior, and it's just not easy nor feasible to restict access to a specific application at certain times under a single user account. I'm sure it's possible, but it'll probably be much more difficult and cumbersome to do it rather than create one more limited-access account.

 

[michaelsanford]

As others have mentioned you need to use user accounts. The meat and potatos of that is to create a user account of type 'Limited Access' and then restrict their use of certain applications.

Here's a screnshot of what I mean (attached).