Users Menu locking: need advice to choose linux desktop distro
 

Hi,

My question is simple: just tell me what distro would you advise after reading my below prerequisites.


I need to setup several desktop pc's with linux, but i need to choose one that allows me:

a-to lock down menus, so that users just can browse through a list of predefined menus and thus launch only predefined programs
b-can't connect usb pen or usb drives
c-can't have access to terminal, network nor any other settings (like desktop, display, mouse, etc)
d-just could save data in their homes directory


Users must only use the following software:

1-openoffice
2-image editor (gimp is just fine)
3-pdf viewer
4-pdf printer
5-mpeg or divx player, nothing fancy, just a very simple player
6-browser to browse only internal site, mozila is just fine
7-scanner software
8-ability to connect photo digital camera
9-samba, nfs and ftp client


Thanks in advance!

You can do this with any distro.

Example:

http://www.linux.com/articles/55066

Hi, SqdnGuns!

Thanks for your reply!

The link you provided has an article from 2006 and the customization has to be made through editing some files, which is not bad at all, but i was wondering if, by now in 2008, there is some distro with a GUI way to do it.

Best regards!

I think both KDE and Gnome have a kisk mode which may be gui'ed and worth looking at.

for kde (I don't do gnome, sorry)
http://jriddell.org/programs/kiosk-article.html

this might help also
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiosk_software

You may want to look into Sabayon for Gnome.

Yves.

As they've been saying your requirements can be met by any distro. Install the DE of your choice and create a user with read and write access to only the necessities (perhaps make everything read only and add write access as needed). Since they have developed a "kiosk" mode for gnome and kde i guess it might be a little harder than that but i can't see the flaw.