I agree with many here though. Just like typical forum use, having a tiered approach to being able to use the Glowforge would be more ideal. The Owner is like an Systems Administrator with Admin privileges (root privileges), they can see all, and control all. Invited users at least start out as users with limited group accesses (purchase material, see Bed, have their own dashboard, able to push Print on their designs as long as the bed is free). I would imagine that it would be best if ONLY the owner can invite users to have access to their Laser (I can see an issue in makerspaces or businesses, but I think the vast majority will be in more private settings).
As the Owner, I would like to be able to view the history of ALL of the jobs that were run on my machine. If I let my kids use the Glowforge while I’m away at work, I’d like to be able to monitor how many hours the tube has been used, the amount of material that I’ll have to replace, monitor/regulate Laser use if necessary (go outside to play!), etc…
Love it but I agree with the others, this seem a bit scary
-Cancel ongoing prints
-See who else has access to use the printer, and add and remove other users
However I suppose it will make owners more selective on who they invite.
This is a great start, though. I received the coveted, “would you like your Glowforge” email last week and was already wondering how to set something like this up. I have two other friends at work who ordered, and it looks like I’ll be the first to get a forge, so it will be “party at my place” time.
Another vote for SysAdmin type control. Along with the ability to let others be SysAdmins. An admin of a makerspace can take the 10 minutes to learn how to do this, or spend lots more time cleaning up the messes because this doesn’t exist.
Just to throw out another wish list item…I’d also appreciate the ability to be able to temporarily restrict a user from being able to print without having to remove access from the machine. It’d be great to be able to give my older kids access and their own account, but only allow them to print when I’m around and can supervise.
I can almost get behind the "everyone does everything* approach, but I also think only the owner’s account should be able to remove guest accounts.
It would be a shame if a sibling deleted their other sibling’s account because they were fighting or something. Canceling a print would be bad too, but at least that would be just a single instance, not something that could wipe out many months/years of work.
Having an un-delete function might alleviate this worry, but, unless Glowforge is indending to store all users’ data forever, it might not be enough.
Not sure how this belongs in Problems and Support though. Seems Announcements or Everything Else might be more appropriate. I think people come here for solutions to their problems, not update information.
First, this is awesome! I’m definitely going to set it up so my niece in Chicago will be able to use it… but she’s 3, so maybe I’ll give my brother access instead.
Second, I’m going to echo some of the requests above.
It would be nice to have other options besides Full Access. Something like partial access which gives them access to the forums, the design catalog, the store, and view only for the printer. Then they need permission to send a print through. How that would look, I don’t know. Maybe admin gets an email or a pop up on there account.
The other thing that would be nice is if there is a log, just to see when people have been using it. This shouldn’t be an issue for me right now, but as my daughter gets older, it might be.
I don’t think allowing guest users to add or delete other user’s - or cancel any ongoing prints other than their own to be a good idea.
Other than that, I think it’s a great idea!
Is there any way to please add an RSS feed to that page for new announcements? I may be the last person on Earth using an RSS reader, so maybe it’s not worth your time, but it would make me happy
Agreed. Thinking from a library makerspace perspective, there have been some really valid concerns raised.
Imagine if you have a training program set up, so students can’t have access until they pass a training/safety instruction/etc. If once added they can then add users who haven’t done the training? Eeeep.
But very excited I can eventually set up an account for my dad so he can send jobs to his daughters’ Glowforges!
I agree with what everone else has expressed so far. It would be better if they couldn’t add/delete other users and their jobs. Otherwise, I can’t control access (aka, you can’t use it unless you’re trained) if anyone who received access can add anyone else trained or not.
I started a new thread for this conversation, please join me there:
if your cms doesn’t allow for rss on static pages the easiest way might just be a “latest improvements” thread somewhere in the forum that peo le could subscribe to.
