Aug 01, '03 09:46:00AM • Contributed by: Anonymous
OS X doesn't keep track of different time settings for different users; there is only one clock and OS X treats it as a privileged system resource. Now there are times when you would want a regular user to be able to change this preference, as when a user is travelling with a laptop, and times when you don't, as when you have some critical scheduling app running or what have you.
Unfortunately, OS X doesn't really allow you to control this. Sure you can lock and unlock preferences, but that does not persist beyond your "session"; once you logout or reboot, the preferences revert to their privileged state. I have made some progress in finding a solution; perhaps others can take it further...
In the /etc directory is a file called authorization. Apple eventually plans to add a GUI for this file, but in the meantime you must edit it manually. If you examine the file, you will find a section that looks like this:
<key>system.preferences</key>
<dict>
<key>group</key>
<string>admin</string>
<key>shared</key>
<true/>
<key>allow-root</key>
<true/>
</dict>
By removing the default parameters (robg adds: everything below the "key" line, I believe) and replacing them with just allow, you will allow all users to be able to change all system preferences regardless of group. You will have to logout and login for changes to take effect.
Unfortunately, I have not been able to figure out how to directly reference a particular preference, for example, the date and time. I have examined the date and time's plist and have tried things like...
system.preferences.dateandtimebut nothing seems to work. Perhaps someone else can take it from here.
[robg adds: There are obviously some security issues here, but in certain situations, this may be of use to some people...]
