20.04 Migrate between users - best way?

gandsnut

3/5/24, 2:03 PM

Effectively a kubuntu system. User 'adam' uses a KDE Plasma desktop. User 'glen' uses a Gnome MATE desktop.

I find need to migrate daily use of 'adam' (settings, program data, etc.) to 'glen'. Looks like this means considerable chown & chgrp operations to start.

Is there a guided or safe, comprehensive way to accomplish this? Thanks.

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I want use of either the KDE or MATE environments to be avaiable. For editors, I believe any user can use any (desktop's) editor. What concerns me most are things like Thunderbird email, and all the many configuration points in a user's home directory. Such as, (present-use) /home/adam and configuration files thereunder, some are innocuous. But Thunderbird email's configuration is specific to which /home subdirectory it resides in.

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I have a mounted partition on an external HD, it's called '/extra'. Currently, it's complete contents are assigned (owner, group) of adam + adam. I think only by making EVERYTHING in '/extra' permissions 777 would allow glen to modify, add, delete those adam + adam files and subdirs. Are you saying a reassignment to a universal group, say, 'people', would I be able to have adam OR glen modify, add, delete items on '/extra'? Thanks.

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"/home/adam" and "/home/glen" are fictions for two user ID's on my daily-use computer. You know, there are some times you just don't want the whole world to know your own (typically private) particulars. Would you post help requests about corrupted files in your "/home/user68186/girlie_photos" subdir?

0 + 6

gnome

users

plasma

Rinzwind

3/5/24, 2:50 PM

"Looks like this means considerable "chown & chgrp" operations, to" explain because that should not be the case. You can always put them in the same group if needed.

gandsnut

3/5/24, 6:13 PM

@user68186: I want use of either the KDE or MATE environments to be avaiable. For editors, I believe any user can use any (desktop's) editor. What concerns me most are things like Thunderbird email, and all the many configuration points in a user's home directory. Such as, (present-use) /home/adam and configuration files thereunder, some are innocuous. But Thunderbird email's configuration is specific to which /home subdirectory it resides in.

gandsnut

3/5/24, 6:20 PM

@Rinzwind: I have a mounted partition on an external HD, it's called '/extra'. Currently, it's complete contents are assigned (owner, group) of adam + adam. I think only by making EVERYTHING in '/extra' permissions 777 would allow glen to modify, add, delete those adam + adam files and subdirs. Are you saying a reassignment to a universal group, say, 'people', would I be able to have adam OR glen modify, add, delete items on '/extra'? Thanks.

gandsnut

3/6/24, 12:42 AM

@user68186: I didn't know the Linux owner/group/other permissions system would allow two (or more) owners with the same 1000 user-id. In /etc/passwd, every owner-id number is unique. I do get how 5 owners (in their own '/home...' locations) could all be assigned a particular group. I also thought desktops are a matter of per-owner configuration - as their config must be isolated. I've researched what it will take to migrate Thunderbird, so with care that should be OK. I don't understand what comment's information I should edit into my original question...? Thank you.

gandsnut

3/6/24, 12:50 PM

@user68186: "/home/adam" and "/home/glen" are fictions for two user ID's on my daily-use computer. You know, there are some times you just don't want the whole world to know your own (typically private) particulars. Would you post help requests about corrupted files in your "/home/user68186/girlie_photos" subdir?

user68186

3/6/24, 6:27 PM

Please [edit your question](https://askubuntu.com/posts/1285389/edit) and add all the new information you have put in your comments.

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