disable Dashboard on lab computers

I think you need to include the full file path of where that plist
lives, also can you show us the exact command?

Thomas Larkin
TIS Department
KCKPS USD500
tlarki at kckps.org
cell: 913-449-7589
office: 913-627-0351

We just used Composer to make a dmg package of the unix command you
mentioned. It works well. Now we can put it into a policy or push it
with casper.

Chad

I've found that this plist alone is not enough to disable Dashboard.

When you use the script:
defaults write com.apple.dashboard mcx-disabled -boolean YES;
killall Dock

Dashboard still exists as a component of Dock.app, and a standalone app in
/Applications. It can still be invoked by hotkey, or by directly launching
either app.

The way I disable dashboard in Tiger is to run the following script:

#!/bin/sh

mkdir -p /Library/polo/disabled/Dock

cp -R /System/Library/CoreServices/Dock/Contents/Resources/Wid*
/Library/polo/disabled/Dock/
rm -R /System/Library/CoreServices/Dock/Contents/Resources/Wid*

cp -R /System/Library/CoreServices/Dock/Contents/Resources/wid*
/Library/polo/disabled/Dock/
rm -R /System/Library/CoreServices/Dock/Contents/Resources/wid*

cp -R /System/Library/CoreServices/Dock/Contents/Resources/Dash*
/Library/polo/disabled/Dock/
rm -R /System/Library/CoreServices/Dock/Contents/Resources/Dash*

cp -R /System/Library/CoreServices/Dock/Contents/Resources/dash*
/Library/polo/disabled/Dock/
rm -R /System/Library/CoreServices/Dock/Contents/Resources/dash*

cp -R /Library/Widgets /Library/polo/disabled/
rm -R /Library/Widgets

cp -R /Applications/Dashboard.app /Library/polo/disabled/
rm -R /Applications/Dashboard.app

chmod -R 700 /Library/polo/disabled

for i in $( ls /Users/ ); do fn=$i if test ${i:FIRST:1} != "." -a $i != "Shared"; then cp -R
/System/Library/User
Template/English.lproj/Library/Preferences/com.apple.dock.plist
/Users/$i/Library/Preferences/com.apple.dock.plist; cp -R
/System/Library/User
Template/English.lproj/Library/Preferences/com.apple.symbolichotkeys.plist
/Users/$i/Library/Preferences/com.apple.symbolichotkeys.plist; chown -R $i
/Users/$i/Library/Preferences; fi

Done

# end script

The Dashboard hotkey must be turned off too. If you leave the Dashboard
hotkey active after removing/deleting Dashboard, the Dock will crash and
relaunch when you press the hotkey. It doesn't seem to have any ill effect
other than an annoying 'blinking' of the dock.

The 'for' statement at the end copies a hotkey plist from the user template
to all existing home folders. The script was written before I adopted
Casper and was a postflight script in a .pkg that put the plist into the
User Template. A .dmg package containing the plist and set to FUT and FEU
would accomplish the same thing, but you'll still need the rest of the
script to perform the Dashboard-ectomy.

Hey all,

Some great ideas have been bouncing around about disabling the dashboard.

We have also come up with a script to help out with this since the dashboard plist is unique for each user.

Attached is the script that reads in the username as a variable that can be passed by making the script part of a policy triggered at "Login".

Hope this helps!

Nick Amundsen
JAMF Support
612-216-1296