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Kiosk Mode and Linux
(lemmy.ml)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).
Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.
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In what way does Windows fulfill a 'kiosk' display mode better than Linux for you? Are you looking for permanent installations or just temporary lockdown to a single application. One of the more modern and straightforward methods currently is using cage.
Cage lets you spawn a Wayland compositor from command-line (or via system service, obviously) that launches either a singular or multiple exclusively-fullscreen applications.
Permanent kiosk is the use case I am looking for. I am aware of cage, it looks pretty interesting and I am planning on trying it sometime soon.
I should clarify, I don't think that Windows kiosks are better than Linux kiosks in their general functions, I would say Linux kiosks take that crown too.
I'm referring specifically to the ease of setup in Windows vs Linux. With Windows, I can convert any machine to a kiosk in less than 5 minutes. No scripting, no changes to login credentials or permissions, no extra packages installed.
I just wish Linux had something that easy. I would even be happy if it was tied to a specific distro or desktop environment, like a special mode in Plasma or Cinnamon.
It would be great if Plasma gets a kiosk mode option some day, that seems right up KDE's alley as far as the "simple by default, powerful when needed" philosophy goes.
Totally agree. If I was an experienced Dev, I would love to work on that as a feature/plugin.