LinDesk

Since I am concentrating on the desktop aspect of Linux, ease of use is more important than security. Whenever a system’s security is increased, there is a reduction in its user-friendliness. One of the best example for this is the login screen in Linux.

If you are using Linux as a desktop system, there is no need for login - you are the primary user on your system. In such cases, the login screen is just a waste of time. And as I am using my system as a desktop system, one of the first things I do after installing Linux is enable the ‘Auto-Login’ feature.

Softwares

There are 2 main software for handling logins - kdm and gdm. KDM manages logins for KDE and GDM manages the same task for Gnome. If you are using gdm, you need to configure just that.

Configuring GDM

• KMenu > Administration > Login Screen
• OR Run command ‘gdmsetup’
• Security Tab
• Make sure that the ‘Enable Automatic Login’ is on
• Choose the default user from the drop down.

Configuring KDM

• Launch Control Center
• System Administration > Login Manager
• Press the ‘Administrator Mode’ button and enter the root password.
• Switch to the ‘Convenience’ tab
• Make sure that the ‘Enable Auto-Login’ is checked.
• Choose the default user from the ‘User’ drop down.