User (computing)

A user is a person who uses a computer.

You may have a special name. This is a username. It helps the machine know you.

You use a password to log in. This keeps your things safe. It also helps with security.

Some machines only have one person using them. Other machines have many people. These machines use accounts for each person.

Each person gets a private place for files. No other person can see them. This keeps your work private.

A user is a person who uses a computer or a network.

Most users have a user account. This is a way for the system to know who they are. You use a username to identify yourself. You also use a password to log in. This helps with security and keeping things safe.

Some computers are single-user systems. They only work for one person. Other computers are multi-user systems. These allow many people to use them. Each person gets their own home directory. This is a private place to store files. Other users cannot see these files. Only a system administrator might see them.

Computers use permissions to stay organized. The system checks these rules to see who can read or save a file. Some systems even have special accounts. You might see a "guest" account. These allow anyone to use the system.

Some people do not like the word "user." A man named Don Norman thinks we should say "people" instead. He feels the word "user" sounds like the person does not understand the computer. There are also "power users." These people use very advanced parts of a program.

A user is a person who uses a computer or a network service.

Many programs use an icon of a person to represent a user. Some software products do not have direct human users at all. These programs might only provide services to other computer systems. We often talk about the end user to describe the person who actually uses the software. This helps us tell the difference between the person using the tool and the people who build it. It also helps distinguish the person using the software from the people who pay for it.

To use a system, a person usually needs a user account. This account helps the system recognize them through a username. You must authenticate yourself to log in. This often means typing in a password or other credentials. This step is important for security and for keeping track of how resources are used. Once you log in, the system might use a number called an identifier to refer to you. This is a way of linking your name to your identity within the system. This process is known as identity correlation.

Computer systems can be one of two different types. Single-user systems do not have many different accounts. Multi-user systems allow many people to have their own accounts. Each person on a multi-user system gets a home directory. This is a private place to store your own files. Other users usually cannot see what is in your home directory. Only a system administrator might have the power to look inside.

Systems use specific rules called permissions to stay organized. The operating system checks these permissions to see who can read or save a file. Some systems even have special accounts for everyone to use. You might see a "guest" account or an "anonymous" account for file sharing. In Unix systems, user accounts are kept in a file called /etc/passwd. Passwords might be kept in a different file called /etc/shadow. On Microsoft Windows, you can manage passwords in the Credential Manager.

Some experts have different ideas about the word "user." A man named Don Norman says the word is quite horrible. He wants to stop using it and call them "people" instead. He thinks the word "user" might make it sound like they lack technical skill. There are also people called "power users." These people use very advanced features of a program. They are not always computer programmers or system administrators.

In the world of computing, a user is a person who uses a computer or a network service.

Most software programs represent a user with an abstract icon of a person. While we usually think of humans, some software products provide services to other systems. These systems have no direct end users because they interact with other machines. To manage people, systems use a user account. This account allows a person to authenticate, which means proving who they are. Once authenticated, a user may receive authorization to access specific resources. Authentication is not the same as authorization. One is about identity, while the other is about permission.

To log into an account, a person typically provides credentials like a password. This process is vital for security, logging, and resource management. After a user logs on, the operating system often uses an identifier to track them. This is often an integer, which is a whole number. This process is called identity correlation. In Unix-based systems, the system correlates a username with a user ID, or UID. This allows the computer to manage the person through numbers rather than just names.

Computer systems are generally categorized into two distinct types. Single-user systems do not have a concept of multiple user accounts. Multi-user systems are different because they allow many people to have separate accounts. On a multi-user system, each account typically has a home directory. This is a private space to store files related to that specific user's activities. These files are protected from access by other users. However, a system administrator may still have the power to access them.

Operating systems use file system permissions to keep data organized and safe. The system inspects these permissions to decide if a user can read or execute a file. It also checks if they are allowed to store a new file in a specific directory. While most accounts are for one person, some systems provide special access. For example, an "anonymous" username is used for anonymous FTP services. A "guest" account is another common type that allows anyone to use the system.

Software developers use specific terms to distinguish between different types of people. The term "end user" refers to the ultimate human operator of a product. This is different from people who support the system, like database administrators or technicians. In user-centered design, designers use "personas" to represent expected users. These personas describe a person's technical expertise and their comfort with different interfaces. This helps designers create software for the general public, where users often have minimal training.

Different operating systems store user information in different ways. On Unix systems, local user accounts are kept in a file called /etc/passwd. User passwords might be stored in a separate file called /etc/shadow in a hashed form. On Microsoft Windows, users can manage passwords within the Credential Manager. These passwords are located in the Windows profile directory. Windows also uses specific formats for names, such as the User Principal Name (UPN) format. An example of this is UserName@Example.com.

Some professionals have strong feelings about the language used in computing. Don Norman, a usability professional, has led a crusade to stop using the word "user." He suggests that we should call them "people" instead. He believes the term "user" can imply a lack of technical expertise. There is also a category known as "power users." These are people who use advanced features of a program. They are not necessarily professional programmers or system administrators, but they know the software well.