Why Mac is perfect for kiosks
World's most advanced operating system - The rock-solid UNIX foundation of Mac OS X provides unparalleled stability and performance. This is key to successful kiosks.
Gorgeous all-in-one computer - The iMac puts everything you need inside one simple enclosure. This makes life much easier when implementing kiosks.
Everything works together perfectly - Since Apple makes both the computer and the operating system, everything works together perfectly.
Advanced web browser engine - Web browsing is powered by WebKit, the world's most advanced browser engine, the same engine used by Safari and Google Chrome. Use Mac's Parental Controls or NetNanny to filter content.
A Brief History of Mac OS X
The story started when Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak started a company called Apple Computer in their garage. The company grew rapidly so they hired an experienced executive named John Sculley to be its CEO. In 1985, Steve Jobs was moved to a position in which he had no control over the company at all. Within weeks, he had come up with an idea for a startup and left to form another computer company called NeXT Computer.
The idea was to create the perfect research computer for universities and research labs. NeXT hired a small team of brilliant engineers and developed a computer, an operating system, a printer, a factory, and a set of development tools. Each piece was years ahead of competing technologies including the use of Unix as the core of the operating system. The first NeXT computer was unveiled in 1988. There was a lot of amazement and excitement.
Unfortunately, the masses did not buy either the computer or the printer, and in 1993 the factory was closed. NeXT Computer became NeXT Software, and the operating system and the development tools continued to sell under the name NeXTSTEP.
Although the average computer user had never heard of NeXSTEP, it was very popular with scientists, investment banks, and intelligence agencies. Tim Berners-Lee developed the first Web browser and the first Web server on NeXTSTEP. The NeXTSTEP operating system was eventually ported to most of the popular CPUs of the day including Intel and Motorola. Oddly enough, it did not run on a Mac.
For many years, Apple had been desperately seeking to create an operating system to compete with Microsoft. They actually wanted to beat Windows 95 to market but failed. The project of creating a new operating system got out of control and Apple finally decided to pull the plug and buy the next version of Mac OS from another company. After looking at the existing operating systems, Apple selected NeXTSTEP and simply bought the whole company in February 1997. Steve Jobs became the interim CEO of Apple on September 16, 1997 and NeXTSTEP became Mac OS X.
Kiosk Software for Mac: eCrisper
Kiosk software such as eCrisper ensures that your application is secured and always running, preventing misuse and allowing kiosks to remain unattended.
Specifically, kiosk software protects the application by blocking users from reaching the operating system or desktop. This prohibits users from changing systems settings or overwriting files stored locally.
A web based kiosk can be used to provide access to a specific website while blocking access to the rest of the web. It can also provide access to the entire web with or without a content filter to protect children.
Kiosks on the big screen
I love the idea of using iMac computers for kiosks, but for applications that require a larger screen or a touch screen monitor/HDTV, the Mac mini is a great solution. The new Mac mini is easy to connect to an HDTV using the new built-in HDMI port.
It is also possible to rotate the screen 90 degrees and eCrisper will adjust to the new screen orientation.
Since eCrisper can divide the screen into 5 areas, each with its own web display, some of the information can be visible all the time.
For example, you could use the left side to display the day's activities, the right side for sports results, and the bottom portion for a scrolling banner displaying major news and announcements.
The main web browser (middle area) could be used to display a web page with large navigation buttons pointing to the school website, the campus map, etc... You can also combine buttons (up to 20 on each side) with web content. Or you can simply use eCrisper as one full screen web browser.
Yves Mailhot
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