> 2) Logging _in_ with my "jan" user doesn't make it work.  It's the
>    logging *out* which makes the change to the better.

Check /dev for funkiness.  This is vaguely reminiscent of some of the
utterly bizarre symptoms I've seen when /dev/null isn't what it should
be.  (No, I don't think that's your problem; /dev/null being busted is
much more consistently weird.  This is very much a stab in the dark.)

/~\ The ASCII				der Mouse
\ / Ribbon Campaign
 X  Against HTML	       mouse@rodents.montreal.qc.ca
/ \ Email!	     7D C8 61 52 5D E7 2D 39  4E F1 31 3E E8 B3 27 4B