Hi, I'm trying to setup firefox to be a kiosk (public access graphical terminal). There looks like there is a decent kiosk extension to lockdown settings and such, but I'm having difficulties with the fullscreen mode.

Getting at fullscreen is normally not difficult. It is merely a matter of hitting F11. My problem is getting firefox to open in full screen mode automatically. I have seen some instructions on editing the global browser.jar file, but I'd rather not if I can help it (for example the accompanying xpi did not work, probably a version conflict). Is there an easier way to do this? Preferably, is there a way to do this inside an individual profile (instead of a global change).

(NOTE: I am NOT talking about maximized. I am talking about truly filling the full screen with the document itself (once the toolbars are hidden). If you don't know what I'm talking about, open firefox and hit F11. The station has a very limited resolution and every pixel counts)

You have to wait for openkiosk to come out. Meanwhile you can test ifthese extensions fit your needs.

No, they don't. The fullscreen extension is just in order to add a button to the toolbar for full screen. It does not, to my knowledge, enable me to startup in a fullscreen mode. None of the others address this.

I did not know about the openkiosk extension for mozilla. It seems like it would be perfect if the firefox port was finished. I'd prefer firefox, but I may need to use the openkiosk/mozilla combination for a while.

Hi.
Im actually interested in deploying openkiosk for a cafe running FC4. has anyone ever done it? Im having issue with the client, i keep getting the applet cant be loaded error msgs in kde, on FC4. im not sure how to debug it tho, it tells me to reconfigure it , but i see it loaded in the kicker panel. It doesnt connect to nodeview, and it tells me it has a minute left! I have firewalls and SELinux disabled.,
is there anything i need to know? Thanks in advance....

If you can use IE instead it has standard full screen capability (I mean proper full screen with no toolbars at all) and can be started in full screen easily from a shortcut like this...

"C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\IEXPLORE.EXE" -k "hxxp://xxx.mypage.com"

or simpler still from the start menu like this...

Go to Start/Run then type iexplore -k

Also I just found that there is an Autohide extension for Firefox that allows it to run in propper full screen - however I still don't know if there is a way to make it start in this way by default?

I don't mean to be rude, but...
ARE YOU CRAZY?

The whole idea of a kiosk is to present the public with a self help station, both looking snazzy and decreasing the amount of work that must be done by employees (This is a general statement, but it will be true for >95% of kiosk owners). The key is low maintenance. There should be no non-physical way to break it.

Linux can be set (with a little effort) to start X windows with only one application, the browser. There does not need to be a window manager or anything else (expecially if the app opens in full screen mode). If the app does somehow get closed, it can be automatically reopened. At least in my senario, there is no keyboard provided to the public, so they cannot even switch ttys. There is simply nothing to break (with a small possible exception of the browser itself).

IE on the other hand, implies Windows. Windows must be locked up tight through either 3rd party software ($) (rarely works) or some truly phonominal policy settings (I have never seen this work). Assuming you can keep Windows intact, you then must find ways to keep IE from getting you in trouble. Seeing that IE and Windows have such great integration (read: vulnerabilities), it can be difficult to be confident that the public will not eventually get the system infected.

There is only one advantage I can see to an IE kiosk. If someone set out to assemble a web-surfing kiosk (of the whole world wide web, not just your page), they might concider IE. The ONLY reason for that, is because some web pages are not designed for html, but are instead designed for IE.

I will allow that MS is doing a better job than they have historically, but trusting them for this is either silly, or ludicrous.

</rant>

Not that I think that it is a good idea, but you can run IE in linux. Google ies4linux.

My first thought was "utterly ridiculous". Then I read this:
Sounds moderately reasonable. Don't see myself getting around to it, but something to think upon...

I use autohide on UBUNTU 9. But I received other problem: Mozilla hangs after approx 15 minuites idle.

???

You realize you're reopening a 5 year old thread to bring up a tangential problem? You'll get better help if you open your own thread.

1 members found this post helpful.

Please start new threads for unrelated problems. I'm going to close this 5-year old thread. If you continue to experience issues, please start a thread for them.