install LOCKDOWN editor

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This kiosk setup is aimed towards the creation of public workstations, e.g. in internet cafes, public libraries and so on. We want to allow users internet access (www, chat, multimedia, …), give them a chance to download files from the internet, and provide applications to open them (word doc, spreadsheets, (PowerPoint) presentations, pdf files, …). Not all of these can be covered with plug-ins and add-ons. One could argue that information on the web should be in a ‘browser-compatible’ format – but that’s in that ideal world far, far away from here – and probably in a parallel universe anyway. The Web I know is littered with Word documents, Microsoft Excel Spreadsheets, PowerPoint Presentations … Sure, OpenOffice can handle those no problem – but then the web kiosk pc should have OpenOffice installed.

Also – as our kiosk is an internet pc in a public library, we may want to allow the users to print information, or save it to (usb) disks etc. So we’ll have to provide access to printers and to media, to auto-mounted devices, … So what we’re looking for here is a rather complete desktop system, maybe also including games or educational programs, but with such configuration that the user can not modify the system, and can not abuse the system (eg. scan, enumerate or access a local network), and so on.

Our solution : a Ubuntu desktop with some modifications, a Gnome desktop lockdown, system lockdown (possibly with the Bastillehardening script), and some alterations to the Linux configuration.

source  : http://users.telenet.be

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