[pmwiki-users] Re: Supporting different modes in default pmwiki

Bronwyn Boltwood arndis at gmail.com
Mon Aug 8 00:56:34 CDT 2005


On 8/8/05, H. Fox <haganfox at gmail.com> wrote:
> The mode-oriented approach would be much easier to accomplish if
> support for groups (of users) were added to PmWiki.  Users in the
> "admin" group could see admin-related links, for example.  There could
> even be more than one type of admin, since groups could be arbitrarily
> determined by the administrator.
 
I'm a little confused -- this sounds like an improvement to the
authentication system.  I can see that an authentication group might
have needs that demanded a mode of their own, but I promise you that
modes and authentication levels are completely different things.

Authentication is about what you're permitted to do, while mode is
about what you are wanting to do.  The point of modes is to give *you*
control over what tools *you* see, so that you have exactly the right
tools and no others, for maximum working space.  The point of
authentication is for someone *else* to control what tools you are
allowed to use, or even allowed to see.  Both have their place, but
they are not the same!

Everyone, if the difference between modes and authentication is still
unclear, please say so, and give us your interpretation of the
concept, so that Christian and I can try to explain it better.  We
can't decide if modes are a good idea or not if we can't all agree on
what they are.

Bronwyn




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