Chapter 4.

Locking Down the Desktop: Disabling GNOME

Desktop Features

The GNOME desktop can be configured to restrict user access to a number of actions, such as print 

ing, access to the command line, and even the ability to log out of the system. The most restricted

configuration can be used to form the basis for a public terminal configuration or that of a kiosk like

setup, in which the user can only perform simple functions like web browsing. This chapter provides

the essential information needed by administrators to perform the various tasks related to locking

down the desktop.

Most of the restricted access can be configured using GConf key/value pairs, hence these will be

discussed first.

4.1. Disabling Lock Screen and Log Out

To disable the ability to log out and to lock the screen, set the appropriate keys under

/apps/panel/global/

using the GConf editor.

The keys to set are

/apps/panel/global/disable_log_out

/apps/panel/global/disable_lock_screen

Figure 4 1. Using GConf editor to disable Log Out and Lock screen