Kiosktool doesn't work

Hi there,

I installed openSuSE 11.4 32bit from a network installer CD (as the machine cannot boot DVDs).
On startup a default user is auto-logged in.

I want to set up an kiosk with only two options

  • Start Application A
  • Shutdown the computer

So I went for “zypper in kiosktool” and startet “kiosktool &” while logged in as root.

  1. It doesn’t look like this
    http://extragear.kde.org/apps/kiosktool/kiosktool3.png
    no blue background, only three Icons to click.
  2. I disabled an disallowed everything for my default user, but since there are so few options,
    the default user can still right-click on the desktop and get himself a panel, start a lot of applications or switch user.

Why doesn’t kiosktool look like on the pic?
Why can’t I disable right-clicking on the desktop or get rid of KDE plasmas thingedybob in the upper right corner?

Some forums state, that one should set up a kiosk using kcontrol. Others report that kcontrol is no longer available
in KDE4 and was replaced by systemsettings.

I even managed to arrange most of what I wanted with that, but still

  • ALT+F2 overs the user access to everything
  • The user can still get back the desktop right-click by left-clicking on
    the KDE plasma flame in the upper right corner and editing “View desktop folder”.

Any way around that?

Or is there another 32bit Linux distribution better suited fpr my purposes?

On 02/01/2012 07:06 PM, NobodyHasThisNickname wrote:

sorry, i can’t answer all your questions, the ones i can are below:

> Why doesn’t kiosktool look like on the pic?

the pic on the page you referenced is for Version 0.9, Release Date
15.09.2004…what is that seven years ago?

i just used YaST to install kiosktool and see

denverd@linux-os114:~> kiosktool --version
Qt: 4.7.1
KDE Development Platform: 4.6.00 (4.6.0) “release 6”
KIOSK Admin Tool: 1.99
denverd@linux-os114:~>

so, the answer to that question is: because you installed a version
different from the one pictured…

> Why can’t I disable right-clicking on the desktop or get rid of KDE
> plasmas thingedybob in the upper right corner?

because the thingedybob can’t be removed…i have seen (but forget what
it was called so can’t look it up) a method of forcing it to be fully
transparent…its still there, you just can’t see it…

> Some forums state, that one should set up a kiosk using kcontrol.
> Others report that kcontrol is no longer available
> in KDE4 and was replaced by systemsettings.

this is all i know (on my ‘stock’ 11.4 with KDE4.6)


linux-os114:~ # which kcontrol
which: no kcontrol in
(/sbin:/usr/sbin:/usr/local/sbin:/root/bin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/bin/X11:/usr/X11R6/bin:/usr/games:/usr/lib/jvm/jre/bin)
linux-os114:~ #

I even managed to arrange most of what I wanted with that, but still

  • ALT+F2 overs the user access to everything

i do not understand what you are saying “ALT+F2 overs the user access to
everything”

  • The user can still get back the desktop right-click by left-clicking
    on
    the KDE plasma flame in the upper right corner and editing “View
    desktop folder”.

i’ve never used kiosktool, but i suppose set it up in accordance with
the documentation and as root gave very limited permissions to the basic
user the box boot to…i have NO idea how to do that, but it is obvious
from your question that you have it set up now so that the basic user
who boots is operating in his own desktop environment and therefore
has full use of it…so, it seems (and there should be instructions on
how to do this) when the machine boots it boots to an open, fullscreen
kiosktool that the basic user is unable to adjust or close…and, your
“Application A” must open on top of that, also full screen, and not
adjustable…then the user is trapped in “Application A” and when ready
to quit must close the application and have your original two choices…

are those kinds of techniques not discussed in the docs?

Any way around that?

i’m not at all sure, but i think kiosktool is a KDE3 application, and i
do not know if there is anything like it for KDE4…but, i did see (on
the page you referenced: Home page extragear.kde.org where i find only this:


Kiosktool
Description: A Point&Click tool for system administrators to enable
KDE's KIOSK features or otherwise preconfigure KDE for groups of users
Current Stable Version: 1.0

which links back to the page you referenced where now (after looking
more closely) i see: Doc: KDE Applications

where i find zero docs!!

but, i find installed on my hard drive:


/usr/share/doc/kde/HTML/uk/kiosktool
/usr/share/doc/kde/HTML/uk/kiosktool/common
/usr/share/doc/kde/HTML/uk/kiosktool/extra-steps.docbook
/usr/share/doc/kde/HTML/uk/kiosktool/index.cache.bz2
/usr/share/doc/kde/HTML/uk/kiosktool/index.docbook
/usr/share/doc/kde/HTML/uk/kiosktool/introduction.docbook
/usr/share/doc/kde/HTML/uk/kiosktool/profile-assign.docbook
/usr/share/doc/kde/HTML/uk/kiosktool/profile-create.docbook
/usr/share/doc/kde/HTML/uk/kiosktool/profile-setup.docbook
/usr/share/doc/kde/HTML/uk/kiosktool/profiles.docbook
/usr/share/doc/kde/HTML/uk/kiosktool/settings.docbook

and a similar lineup for Spanish, Italian, Swedish and whatever “et” is…

while i’ve not looked at them i would suggest you do…

> Or is there another 32bit Linux distribution better suited fpr my
> purposes?

you have not stated your purposes so i wouldn’t know…

however, you could get rid of the thingedybob by simply installing
openSUSE with any desktop environment other than KDE…and they would
probably be a good thing because KDE is the most resource hungry of them
all, next in line would be Gnome2, then (probably) LXDE followed by Xfce…

i don’t know your purpose or needs but depending on what “Application A”
needs you might be real happy with Xfce, iceWM, openbox and any of the
others…

heck, i guess depending on “Application A” you might not even need X

but, back to you another distro question: how much experience do you
have? i mean you might need Debian or Arch…i don’t know…

wait: how did you choose openSUSE and Kiosktool? i look at google and
see 36.7k hit on “linux kiosk”…

let us know how you get on, or if you have other Qs…


DD http://tinyurl.com/DD-Caveat
Read what Distro Watch writes: http://tinyurl.com/SUSEonDW

Kiosk belongs to KDE, thus it is not very reasonable to not use KDE and nevertheless trying to use Kiosk.

From what I know of Kiosk is, that it should lock in an end-user on the PC in a predefined environment with a restricted number of (maybe even to one) applications available. Very usefull for e.g. shops, travel agencies and the like, to prevent their people from using all sorts of applications (inclusing browsers and multi-media players) besides the only purpose the equipment is available for.

Years ago a took a look at it (only the docs) and I liked the idea and the way it was implemented.

BUT, I remember vaguely that there is no maintainer any more. You should try to check this, because it is only hearsay (of an old man :wink: ). When it is true, it is no wonder that Kiosk is not adapted to KDE4 and all it’s new features liike un removable cashews.
Do not ask me why, in that case, the product is still available from KDE when it can not do what it should. Try the KDE forums to get more information: Index page • KDE Community Forums

On 02/01/2012 08:46 PM, hcvv wrote:
> Kiosk belongs to KDE, thus it is not very reasonable to not use KDE and
> nevertheless trying to use Kiosk.

“problem”: irremovable ‘cashew’ in the KDE4 corner

solution: install Gnome only, and then kiosktool–and YaST will install
the basic KDE things needed to run kiosktool on the Gnome desktop (with
no nuts in the corner…

what is “not very reasonable” about that?

on the contrary, i find it both pleasantly “outside the box” and very
doable…though, i think there are many far more elegant solutions
given in my ‘gift’ of:


how did you choose openSUSE and Kiosktool? i look at google and see
36.7k hit on "linux kiosk"

but i now see i forgot to make it real easy: http://tinyurl.com/7n5aa5g

and, o just remembered: i know a guy in NJ who volunteers his time to do
touch screen kiosks for their local museum…mostly for kids:

Press to learn about:
Gravity
Motion
Mass
Planetary Mechanics
Astrophysics
Sex Change Operations

that kinda stuff…and, i know he uses Linux…i think CentOS, but i
don’t know if he rolls his own kiosk or ‘cheats’ with an old KDE thing…

oh! look what i found:
http://tinyurl.com/7qtng25
http://tinyurl.com/74kybyw
http://tinyurl.com/75dgs8v


DD
Read what Distro Watch writes: http://tinyurl.com/SUSEonDW