GNOME Bugzilla – Bug 151018
It is not possible to disable visible feedback in the password entry.
Last modified: 2005-02-14 22:49:43 UTC
The UNIX standard for password entries is that nothing is displayed at all when typing into a password field. For example the console, xdm and ssh all use this policy. Visible feedback is very useful, and lack thereof can be confusing. Nevertheless I think that disabling visual feedback should at least be an option. Therefore I have made a patch for the CVS version of gdm that implements this behavior using a gdm.conf key similar to the UseCirclesInEntry option. The option name is UseInvisibleInEntry, which is a pretty strange name, chosen mostly to be similar to the UseCirclesInEntry option. This option overrides the UseCirclesInEntry option. If something is unclear or changes in the patch is required, don't hesitate to contact me. Johan Martinsson johan@NOMORESPAM.illion.se (Remove the NOMORESPAM part...)
Created attachment 30924 [details] [review] Patch for adding the wanted behavior to gdm CVS version.
IIRC one of the reasons some login managers don't display anything in the password field is so that there will be no visible information about the password length. Perhaps useful in some severely security minded places. Small typo in the patch: + This is the standard in console and xdm. Settings this "Settings this" should probably be "Setting this".
Fixed in CVS head.