

A Better Way to Handle Multi Sign In - JustinGarrison
http://1n73r.net/2013/03/11/a-better-way-to-handle-multi-sign-in/
When multi sign in came out for Google accounts I was really excited. But after using it the Google way I decided it sucked. So I found a way to fix it for my use.
======
webwanderings
> No way to set a shortcut to control which profile opens initially (opens
> last used profile)

There was a version of Chrome I downloaded a while ago which created a
shortcut icon on the desktop of a multiple profile. This feature has since
then disappeared and I have yet to find a way to create a desktop short cut
but I know it is possible through command line switches in the shortcut icon.

~~~
JustinGarrison
There was a comment left that pointed out the --profile-directory="[PROFILE]"
flag. I will have to try this along with changing the icon to see if that
works for the multiple profiles.

~~~
JustinGarrison
I just tried this. It broke chrome and I needed to create a new "User Data"
directory. Maybe it'll work in a future version.

~~~
webwanderings
Thanks. I have a need for only two profiles and I have gotten used to of
launching the primary profile and then secondary through it. I always close
the secondary first and primary second so I guess I am okay without the icon
for now.

There are compromises here and there between Firefox and Chrome. I am actually
surprised to see that IE10 hasn't caught up with multiple profiles and/or even
a sync. The best IE10 can do is give you private browsing (which you can
potentially use to have a second profile, but it is not that convenient like
Chrome).

------
hejsna
I just use different browsers. Chrome for the personal one, Firefox for the
work one. Very easy, just Cmd+Tab between them, can always stay signed in, and
no confusion!

~~~
Terretta
The different browser approach has the added benefit of letting you bind that
app to a different desktop. The Chrome multi users can't be bound to different
desktops automatically.

Also, I've found Chrome's multi user windows have a nasty tendency to fail to
reopen all windows and all tabs upon reboot. One or two will open, but at
least one won't, and when you do launch a new window for that user, it won't
remember its prior tabs.

Your approach resolves both those cases. That said, Chrome's built in support
with the prominent user icon in the window title bar is fantastic for multiple
email accounts and the like, especially coupled with tab pinning so it can't
help but open Gmail for example.

------
martinced
I've got always at least three different Google accounts logged in: personal
one (GMail + G+ + Google Docs), professional one (Google Apps for Domain /
Business : GMail + Google Docs) and a "fake identity one" (GMail + G+).

The way I do it very simple: separate user accounts on Linux. That way you're
sure there's no way they're going to interfere with each other. Of course it
helps to be using an OS on which it's trivial to have multiple indepedent
graphical sessions and which allow (if you grant that privilege) another local
user to display it's app on your graphical session.

The "temp" / fake identity account is actually running inside a VM (KVM)
because I use to surf on untrusted sites and is really a "throwaway" account /
VM.

That kind of blog entry is kiddie stuff compared to what's easily doable under
Linux.

~~~
Terretta
> _That kind of blog entry is kiddie stuff_

The blog entry doesn't support user profiles, Chrome does. Anyway, things that
are simple time savers aren't kiddie stuff, they're productivity multipliers.

Mucking around with multiple Linux accounts and multiple graphical sessions
with privilege management just to log into three Google accounts is like
attaching papers together with origami instead of a paperclip.

[http://www.bloomize.com/how-to-bind-papers-without-
staples-o...](http://www.bloomize.com/how-to-bind-papers-without-staples-or-
clips/)

<http://imgur.com/SNlUOsJ>

