I run a laptop ministry with laptops refurbished with a Linux distro for folks in need in my area (Chicago). I have found the key ring manager as default mandatory a barrier for novice users and I’ve written this letter pleading that such function be a choice without hurdles to disable among the novice user base.
The complete open letter can be accessed here:
[edit: Don’t mind the open graph mis-description. I often recycle my code base and forget to change stuff like that.]
This is a solved problem already, most user friendly distros set up PAM correctly. The keyring gets unlocked when you log in and never get asked for to unlock it.
If that’s not the case for the distro you are installing on those laptops, it’s best to ask them instead.
The letter often equates the keyring with browser password managers which is not true. Apps can use it to save credentials (that’s doesn’t just mean a string password) and when it’s not available they’ll either not work or not save the credentials at all. Personally, I won’t ever accommodate this setup for my apps and the apps that do will likely do local encryption instead - talk about having to remember passwords when every single app asks you for one!