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Netscape Navigator "Kiosk Mode"- History Using Netscape in "kiosk" mode, we made our first attempt at providing the Information Commons/Library with a restricted version of Netscape 202 suitable for public access on a Windows95 platform. Unfortunately, there were several problems: -all the buttons had disappeared (no more point-and-click), -navigation was cumbersome (keyboard-driven), and -there were plenty of "back-doors" via keyboard short-cuts. In other words, the kiosk mode was a kludge and not acceptable. Netscape's help files indicate that they are working on a "kiosk" mode (new and improved, we hope!) as part of a future release. You can try out "kiosk" mode for yourself: 1. Choose Run (under Windows 95) 2. Enter the path to the netscape executable followed by a -k. 3. If you wish to specify a default home page, add -h followed by the appropriate URL. Example: Run C:\netscape202\Program\netscape.exe -k -h http://www.utoronto.ca The Netscape Navigator Administration Kit Our second effort for providing a "public-access-friendly" navigator started with the purchase (US$795 + shipping) of the Netscape Navigator Administration Toolkit (US$795 + shipping). The Toolkit allows you to substitute other values for otherwise hard-coded elements and to customize preferences in Netscape 3.0 for Windows, Macintosh or UNIX. - For the following you can set the default and optionally lock it: user addr, user name, replyto, POP userid, message max size (UNIX & Mac only), ask for security password, security password life, allow sslv2, allow sslv3, allow java, allow javascript, nntp server, smtp server, pop server, leave mail on server, proxy type, and setting of proxy servers. - The following options may be defined and if they are, are always locked: String which Web servers can use to identify your browser, home page, autoload home page, animation to be used in place of the "N", replacements for the directory buttons, replacement or addition of items in the directory and help menus, To disable email sending and news posting we blanked out and locked the "user addr" option. (In Windows95, but not the Mac, a user checking this field will see a grayed out "Not Supported" in that field.) This puts up a dialog when the user first tries to start composing a message. (For good measure we also blanked out and locked the SMTP server.) To disable email reading we blanked out the POP server, and to disable news reading you can blank out the NNTP server. You can distribute Navigator copies modified with the toolkit subject to your Navigator license and there are instructions on how to do this. Further Changes: Using Microsoft's Visual C++ 4.0 - Resource Editor To make further changes, we needed Netscape's permission. We signed a "Instructions & Release Concerning Suppression of Features" which became attachment A to our "Limited Right to Copy - Educational Institutions." This permits us to "grey out" or disable, but not delete, features in the File, Edit, View, Go, Bookmarks, Options, and Windows pulldowns. Modified copies cannot be distributed and must only be used in a public setting such as a Library. One way to to grey out menu items is using the resource editor included with Microsoft's Visual C++ 4.0; the resource editor must be used from Windows NT (reference http://www.microsoft.com/kb/developr/visual_c/q139030.htm). A good reference on this topic is, "Using Microsoft's Visual C++ 4.0 to Edit Netscape 2.01" written by the folks at Berkley. Upgrading Netscape in PAFs [March 1998] Most PAFs on campus currently run a modified version of Netscape 3.01. Unfortunately the approach used to zap the Netscape 3.01 binary - a combination of the Netscape Administration Kit and Microsoft Visual C++ - is no longer useful. We have two avenues open to us. The first is to approach the problem as other PAFs have. The clear majority of PAFs are using a combination of IKiosk (WinSelect) and Fortres. IKiosk (WinSelect) is designed to limit the functionality of specific applications, while Fortres is designed to protect the operating system. The company which makes Fortres also has a beta product similar to IKiosk (WinSelect) called Cooler The second option is Netscape's Mission Control (replaces the Netscape Admin Kit), a utility which allows us to lock configuration settings and tailor the user interface by adding custom bookmarks and address book entries, customizing buttons and menus, and adding customized online help.