Rik Tindall wrote: > Having to grapple with secure kiosks now too, I've found a viable Linux > software link to share: > > FireCast <http://www.affordablekiosks.com/software/firecast.htm> >
Its built and marketed by Wirespring, www.wirespring.com the software is really nice to use, but the downside is that you're pretty much tied in to using their service. I've got a beta copy around here somewhere (took about 3months of emailing to get it!!) Each kiosk "calls home" (wirespring servers) regularly to re-download advertising for the kiosk, etc and to sync its configuration. You basically run the kiosk from their website, right down to being able to reboot a kiosk, reconfigure the layout that the user sees or whatever. There appeared to be a number of functions that could not be (or were tricker to) perform locally - its definetly designed for web admin. The fees and software prices they charge are worth it if you're making money off of advertising and charging for internet use. You can buy the software/licenses and install it on your own machine, or buy complete prebuilt kiosks complete with touchscreens and space for paper advertising and branding. Last time I checked they didn't sell prebuilt coin-op kiosks, or have much support for coin-op addons so they were pretty useless to us as an internet kiosk machine. All things considered, its a very nice piece of software at a reasonable price. Worth considering if you need information kiosks, or aim to provide digital advertising, or free internet and sell advertising. Sascha
