How can I share applications between two accounts on the same Mac?

[rajerz]

This is probably a common question.
But how can you share ( content ) songs from iTunes, schedules on iCal, etc. between two seperate accounts on the same Mac.
Without going on-line.
I have tried making a alias ( Shortcut ) to a application ( ex. iCal ) and moving it to the Share folder. But when I open it on another account, the application opens but it has no content on it.
I also tried the Public folder and ended up with the same results.
Currently my Mac is not on-line and I would like to share content with my girlfriends account that will update on both accounts when new information is entered.
Sadly, I don't have a external hard drive yet or I would just bypass the OS completely.
Any ideas?
Thanks
:biggrin:

 

[Ric]

Hi there,

OS X is UNIX software, which means that you can set up different users...just like you have done...now when you open iCal, iCal looks in the 'current users' data (home and preferences/folder) and uses that data to configure itself.

Then if another 'User' opens iCal a copy of the original application is opened, again using that 'users' custom data.

If you want to share stuff then you will either have to stick to one user account, which is probably the easiest way, or...

Some Apps allow sharing of data...This is how to share iTunes libraries.

To 'interactively' share an iCal Calendar you either need a .mac account to sync the calendars, or your own server.

There are ways of hacking where iCal thinks the data should be stored but it's a little messy.

You can create a calendar in iCal and 'share' that with another user, but it is not automatic, if you make changes you have to export it again, and they have to import it...

regards

Ric

 

[rajerz]

Thank you for your help, Ric.

I guess I will leave one account for now. When I get the external hard drive I will try to have two accounts again.

Thanks again.

 

[Ric]

Hi there,

no problem.

Let us know if we can help with anything else.

regards

Ric

 

[alsadr]

hi
this a prof.way to have more than one account to work with the same user pref.
active the root password and login as root.. under root account
go to hd/system/Library/User Template/English.lproj/Library/Preferences
repace this folder with the user folder you are like to work with.
and log off root
create a new user. You will get the same pref as the old user
this User Template folder is the key for any new user account you create on your computer
BUT....
if you change the old user setting the new user will not change. But may be the application will update it self
try it and let me know.
by the way .. you can active the root password from Utilities/NetInfo Manager
run it and from security menu select "change root password..".
hope it will help

 

[Daydreamer]

The libraries and files from the iLife programs, as well as calendars from iCal, and settings from just about every program (I'm guessing all programs) etc. are saved in various folders inside the user folder so as to be inaccessible from other users and to let each user have their own settings, it may be possible to "cheat" the system by using soft links (UNIX functionality similar to Mac OS aliases, but more indistinguishable from normal folders) but I'm not sure it won't damage the system to cross-link folders between accounts or if soft links even works on the usual HFS+ file system of Mac OS (trying to create a soft link seems to create an alias on my system running 10.4 on HFS+).