Hello,

I'm VERY new to Linux, I've been tasked with setting up a Linux kiosk machine. I'm currently working with Debian 12 (but this can change if need-be).

I'm trying to set up the GNOME Kiosk (https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gnome-kiosk)
however I wasn't able to proceed at all due to a lack of setup guide, or at least one I could follow. There doesn't seem to be any package that can be downloaded and installed by a tool like apt. I downloaded the source code (main branch), and tried to build it using meson, which failed too (probably due to it being my first encounter with meson).

I was hoping someone could take pity on an absolute newbie and provide a sequence of steps I could follow.

Here are the specifics:
- The machine is a "Kiosk PC", that is a PC with and integrated touch screen (it looks like a giant tablet). It's supposed to be used in portrait mode, but the hardware is unaware of this, so I have to rotate the screen in Settings after install. No keyboard or mouse attached during normal operation.
- the app is a browser (Firefox is fine) pointed to a website on localhost (the server will be run as a daemon under a separate user, I know how to do that)
- the system must go into kiosk mode after each boot (no login screen). There must be no way for the user to access the rest of the system, or render the machine unusable for the next person by exiting/minimizing the browser app.
- It must be configured to NOT use Wayland. We must be able to access screen sharing/remote control on the machine via a tool like TeamViewer or AnyDesk, in unattended mode (nobody present at the machine to confirm). This is not possible on Wayland because of its security concept which requires someone physically at the machine to confirm. (I just faced a dead-end with Cage Kiosk, as it's built on Wayland).
- There should be a way (secure and hidden away from the regular user) to temporarily switch off kiosk mode and enable logging in to the regular desktop. For instance, if I connect via ssh from a different machine, I should be able to change a setting to achieve this.

All in all I think the requirements are pretty straightforward for a kiosk machine. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Wow.

Well, there's no better place to start than at the beginning: https://training.linuxfoundation.org...tion-to-linux/

Please do not create multiple threads on the same topic. Posting a single thread in the most relevant forum will make it easier for members to help you and will keep the discussion in one place.

https://www.linuxquestions.org/quest...me-4175734719/

That one was more of a general question, whereas this one is really specific. I thought it best to keep them separate. But it's your world.

It's currently in the "Experimental" branch, which means the Debian developers are just beginning to play around with it. That doesn't look good for the immediate future.