[kde-linux] SDDM alternatives

[CLOSE Dave]

I wrote:

> F23 with KDE uses the SDDM display manager by default. This is
> totally impractical in an environment, like ours, where users are
> authenticated through the network. There are literally hundreds of
> possible users. Scrolling through that many pseudo-pictures to find
> yourself is stupid! It's also something of a security exposure as
> everyone learns all the possible users of the system. There has to be
> a way to allow a user to explicitly enter his name without having to
> select it from any kind of list. Ideas?

Duncan wrote:

> FWIW, here I just login at the text CLI, and run startx (which is
> setup with a kde session that then runs startkde, etc).
>
> Totally practical for network authentication, indeed, ssh CLI login
> if desired, and no X overhead when nobody's logged in or when the
> login is CLI and doesn't need X.  And it's much harder to break a CLI
> login than a *DM of any sort.  =:^)

I use exactly that solution for myself. But in this case, I'm setting up
a large number of boxes for lab use and the users would not know how to
do that. I have to do something they will find familiar.

Christian Butcher wrote:

> I think that themes for SDDM other than the default have different
> arrangements for the login screen. For example, the 'circles' theme,
> shipped with SDDM, allows typing a username.

Rex Dieter wrote:

> Use a different sddm theme that doesn't include a userlist?
>
> fedora ships a theme named 02-fedora for this purpose, ie, edit
> /etc/sddm.conf to include: [Theme] Current=02-fedora
>
> (or, it should fallback to using that one if you remove the
> sddm-breeze rpm package)

I'll look into those themes. Unfortunately, our corporate proxy is 
having trouble reaching kde.org and Google didn't find any other 
references to changing the theme. That's why I had to ask here.

But I'd really prefer a completely different display manager. (I find 
the SDDM developer's attitude about root login to be insulting.) That's 
why my subject line is "SDDM alternatives".
-- 
Dave Close