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.
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