Why Don’t Smartphones Have A “Guest Mode”? • Hacker News Board

Re: Why Don’t Smartphones Have A “Guest Mode”?

#81

Post by jmonegro » Thu, Jan 05, 2012, 5:02 AM UTC

nradov wrote: post #79

jerrya wrote: post #16

Somewhat related: I've long wondered why ATM cards don't have something similar. 1234 is my regular PIN. 1235 is my help I'm being robbed PIN -- it dispenses the cash, calls the cops, and tags the video.

It's a nice idea but wouldn't work in practice. If the "help" PIN is always 1 higher then there would be too many false alarms due to pressing the wrong button. Or if the "help" PIN is totally different then victims will forget under stress.

Also, robbers would know there is such thing as a "help" pin, therefore rendering it useless. It's not a good idea in practice.

Re: Why Don’t Smartphones Have A “Guest Mode”?

#82

Post by MichaelGG » Thu, Jan 05, 2012, 5:05 AM UTC

WalterBright wrote: post #69

burgerbrain wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wasn't this a solved problem... 40 years ago? At least?

Nope. While on Windows, Linux, and OS X you can have two remote users logged in and independently using tty windows, they all must share the same GUI window.

Er, what? I regularly use Windows remote desktop and have my own full GUI session, independent of other logged in users. This has been around for many years.

Re: Why Don’t Smartphones Have A “Guest Mode”?

#83

Post by unabridged » Thu, Jan 05, 2012, 5:07 AM UTC

i love that almost everything in this thread would be added shortly if we had control of our phones. why isnt there a bigger open hardware phone movement? how about a new GPLv4? GPLed software can only be shipped on GPLed hardware. it can be installed later but the user gets to see an ad explaining what they cannot do with their phone, and possibly alternate carriers that support open hardware.

Re: Why Don’t Smartphones Have A “Guest Mode”?

#84

Post by Helianthus » Thu, Jan 05, 2012, 5:09 AM UTC

Hell, I want a guest mode on my computer. Instead I need to just have netbooks available for when company wants to check their email.

Re: Why Don’t Smartphones Have A “Guest Mode”?

#85

Post by damncabbage » Thu, Jan 05, 2012, 5:11 AM UTC

WalterBright wrote: post #69

burgerbrain wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wasn't this a solved problem... 40 years ago? At least?

Nope. While on Windows, Linux, and OS X you can have two remote users logged in and independently using tty windows, they all must share the same GUI window.

That isn't true for Linux and Windows.

X (the service commonly providing the *nix GUI) was pretty much built with this in mind; Linux has had an implementation of X that has provided this since at least the mid-90s.

Windows has had this on the server since at least Windows Server 2003, and has also introduced it to the "consumer" market in Windows 7.

(I'd be happy to find out whether OS X supports this or not.)

Re: Why Don’t Smartphones Have A “Guest Mode”?

#86

Post by ebiester » Thu, Jan 05, 2012, 5:14 AM UTC

ryanwaggoner wrote: post #75

baddox wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Perhaps the fake PIN would only show a preset of money in the account (and still call the cops)? If the robber didn't know the victim, they might buy it.

Not sure the situation in other countries, but in the US you aren't liable for any money lost in an ATM robbery. So this would be helpful to the banks, but not the victim.

Just the knowledge of this would discourage ATM robberies from happening. If you knew that you'd only get x bucks, and that the police would be called as the transaction was happening, you'd be less likely to try this technique.

Re: Why Don’t Smartphones Have A “Guest Mode”?

#87

Post by ryanwaggoner » Thu, Jan 05, 2012, 5:19 AM UTC

ebiester wrote: post #86

ryanwaggoner wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not sure the situation in other countries, but in the US you aren't liable for any money lost in an ATM robbery. So this would be helpful to the banks, but not the victim.

Just the knowledge of this would discourage ATM robberies from happening. If you knew that you'd only get x bucks, and that the police would be called as the transaction was happening, you'd be less likely to try this technique.

Well, I think you'd have fewer ATM robberies, but the ones you did have would be more violent, because now the victim is effectively armed with a crude weapon. So the robber is going to be more violent to intimidate the victim into NOT using that duress code.

Re: Why Don’t Smartphones Have A “Guest Mode”?

#88

Post by Lost_BiomedE » Thu, Jan 05, 2012, 5:22 AM UTC

jerrya wrote: post #16

Somewhat related: I've long wondered why ATM cards don't have something similar. 1234 is my regular PIN. 1235 is my help I'm being robbed PIN -- it dispenses the cash, calls the cops, and tags the video.

My girlfriend worked at bank that did this. The alert PIN was your PIN backwards. I don't know if they still do this or not.

Re: Why Don’t Smartphones Have A “Guest Mode”?

#89

Post by redler » Thu, Jan 05, 2012, 5:23 AM UTC

WalterBright wrote: post #69

burgerbrain wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wasn't this a solved problem... 40 years ago? At least?

Nope. While on Windows, Linux, and OS X you can have two remote users logged in and independently using tty windows, they all must share the same GUI window.

On Mac OS X 10.7 (Lion), there is now multiple user screen sharing.

http://www.apple.com/macosx/whats-new/features.html#screensh...

Re: Why Don’t Smartphones Have A “Guest Mode”?

#90

Post by sherwin » Thu, Jan 05, 2012, 5:24 AM UTC

This is something I've wondered quite a bit also. ChromeOS already has this feature -- it's the idea of the device simply acting as a terminal, with all user data stored in the cloud.

Also, I'm a bit afraid implementing full-featured multiple user sessions (similar to a desktop OS) would lead to a lot more bloat.