there are still some (technical) problems that need to be addressed, the needs of the kiosk mode desktop environment are quite different. Instant messenger clients running on a Internet kiosk need interface that enable users to log on without storing the user name, password to a user account on the computer.

Remember klik? That project that aims to make Linux end-user software installation and usage more easy than on any other platform? "Grandma-proof", if you like? By making to 'install' an application as easy as copying a single file to a USB thumbdrive or to a different computer? By implementing application-level virtualization, encapsulating each end-user program into a single file, following the 1 application == 1 file principle?

Machines like Linutop can make a rather neat mini server which you can use to host virtually any application base on the LAMP stack (Linux/Apache/MySQL/PHP). The problem is that turning Linutop (or any machine for that matter) into an application server involves setting up the required servers (e.g., Apache and MySQL), manually modifying configuration files, and tweaking application settings.

Test Drive is a package for Ubuntu that allows you to test drive the daily build of Ubuntu with little effort on the user side. With a single click, you can get the application to download the ISO from the web and run it in your virtual machine.

...Linux has grown up quite a bit so it’s not that difficult to start an application. In fact, I would argue that starting an application in Linux is easier than it is in Windows. How can I say that? Well, why don’t we examine the various ways you can start an application within Linux and you can make the judgment yourself.

In KDE, there are some unique instances when it would be ideal to start a script at the moment KDM starts, in between the start of X and the start of your desktop environment.

This third installment of Simtec's tutorial series on embedded Linux system development covers the construction of a web browser for a web kiosk system. The tutorial was written by ARM Linux kernel hackers Vincent Sanders and Daniel Silverstone (pictured), both from UK-based embedded firm Simtec Electronics.

"Wouldn't it be nice to just start an application at the navigation stage? Well you can. As well as: graphically feed text to Espeak or Festival, graphically display a command's output like a directory listing or a file's contents, graphically start a web browser at a specific website like a Google search with your input, and so much more! This is basic BASH and Zenity, so don't worry, it's easy!"

Imagine a machine sitting at a library, that had no operating system on it, except a livedvd. The livedvd has a disabled root account, and the only user account is xguest. The xguest account can only talk to web ports and when you logout all files and processes get destroyed.