Typed "uptime" in Terminal, got "2 users" in results but I'm only 1 ! WTF !

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Level 1

21 points

Typed "uptime" in Terminal, got "2 users" in results but I'm only 1 ! WTF !

Hello,

As I tried out things on my mac I typed "uptime" in Terminal and in the resulting line there was the period it's been up for without a reboot AND it also said "2 users".

But i'm strictly the only one using this computer and the only user account. I had created accounts for friends that stayed over a few weeks ago but I deleted them when they left.

In System Preferences>Users I have my account and a "Guest User - sharing only" account. Could it be that Guest User is the 2nd user ? if yes how come since I absolutely never logged in that account.

By the way, what is that "Guest User - sharing only" account for ? It was created by default when I started the computer for the first time.

Thanks for your help !

MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.7.4)

Posted on Jul 29, 2012 7:17 PM

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Answer 1

pjshots

Level 1

15 points

Jul 30, 2012 4:27 AM in response to smashr

Hi, it goes something like this...

Log on to Mac OS X - This counts as a user

Open Terminal - This counts as a user

Try opening another Terminal window, you should have gained another user, open another, open another, etc. I think OS X can have around 100 Terminal windows open; each being a seperate user.

Regards,

Phillip.

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Answer 2

smashr Author

Level 1

21 points

Jul 30, 2012 7:47 PM in response to pjshots

Interesting ! Thanks a lot ! However I don't get the logic behind this, perhaps you can explain it to me ? : Isn't OSX supposed to be a user interface to essiantly the terminal, kind of like Windows for DOS at the time ?

If yes then I don't get why you can have "several users in serveral terminals" in one OSX which would then be one "master terminal".

I was interested by UNIX at some point so I can remember that you could log as a root etc and therefore needed sometimes to get different accounts at the same time open on the same computer.

Also what is the Guest User account for exactly ? When I log into my Mac i have to enter my password there and there is no other account than mine selectable. I could select other accounts only when I created them.

Thanks again for your help !

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