You can customize every aspect of the guest account by setting it up, then copying all the prefs etc. to /System/Library/User Template
When the Guest account is generated, this is where it takes all the prefs from.

This may already be covered in another hint... but here's a couple details.

Here's a quick script to copy all the settings over (after first making a backup)

tar cfz /tmp/user_template_backup.tar.gz "/System/Library/User Template"
cp /Users/Guest/.DS_Store "/System/Library/User Template/English.lproj/.DS_Store"
rm -R "/System/Library/User Template/English.lproj/Pictures"
cp -R /Users/Guest/Pictures "/System/Library/User Template/English.lproj/Pictures"
rm -R "/System/Library/User Template/English.lproj/Library"
cp -R /Users/Guest/Library "/System/Library/User Template/English.lproj/Library"
rm -R "/System/Library/User Template/English.lproj/Desktop"
cp -R /Users/Guest/Desktop "/System/Library/User Template/English.lproj/Desktop"

We're now using the Guest account on our public machines.

More information is here:
http://www.michaelsmac.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=394

One gotcha is that whenever you create a new regular account on your machine, it also uses the User Template data. So it will also get these defaults. If you are concerned, make a backup of the virgin User Template folder and put that in place when you need to make a normal user account.

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Sorry, but editing "/System/Library/User Template" is a REALLY cumbersome solution to the problem, since whenever you add another user, it will be "blessed" with the exact same layout as the guest user.
This is quite intolerable to me - besides, the tip from the original post really works nicely and when you click on the "Details" tab, you can add other plist-files as you please!
(The only thing, that doesn't work as expected so far is customisation of the mouse settings)
Cheers,
A

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I hope someone is still following this thread...

I've been using this hint to get a small Library computer lab set up with custom Guest accounts. For the most part, the Workgroup Manager makes it really easy. HOWEVER, I'm struggling with how to get apps like Firefox and the M$oft Office suite to work in this way. Firefox, Word, etc. look for specific folders every time they open in the Guest account and (understandably) act like you're opening ‘em for the first time.

In short, there's got to be a way to combine the Workgroup Manager technique with actually editing the "User Template" contents, so that the Firefox ‘Profile' and the ‘Microsoft User Data' folders can be included in the User Template. Not to mention the fonts, etc. that Office wants installed...

Anyone have any suggestions for this??

Thanks!!
John

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