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A use for Opera
 /  Tuesday, May 03, 2005 11:53:24 AM  /  View Comments  /  4 Old Comments  / 
posted by Program Witch
I don't like Opera. I'm a Firefox user. However, I found a great use for Opera, a Kiosk. Using IE just wasn't an option and to make Firefox go into a Kiosk mode was too difficult (More on that here). Opera, on the other hand, has a build in Kiosk Mode.
What is kiosk mode?

An information stand is usually running a browser that has been set up to make it easy for users to find the information they are looking for. Information stands can be found almost anywhere, for example in libraries, at airports, or in bank offices.

A typical kiosk should at least support the following functions:
  • Users should not be allowed to exit the browser running the kiosk
  • Users should not have access to the operating system or other applications
  • Users should not be able to change the browser settings, nor the system settings
  • Users' privacy must be protected
  • After a period of inactivity, the kiosk should reset and return to a specified home page
Opera's kiosk mode supports all these functions, and a lot more. And since kiosk mode is a superset of Opera configurations, all standard browsing functionality is intact.
Unfortunately Opera's kiosk mode is only available with the registered versions ($39).

To launch Opera in kiosk mode, just use:
"C:\Program Files\Opera\opera.exe" /KioskMode

For more information and optional settings about Opera's kiosk mode, click here.

More on why I need a Kiosk browser later.....
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Old Comment System 
Tuesday, May 03, 2005, 2:00:20 PM by Program Witch  |  email  |  www
Hint: I see dead people.
Tuesday, May 03, 2005, 2:02:11 PM by Anonymous
IE wasnt an option??
Tuesday, May 03, 2005, 2:16:50 PM by Program Witch  |  email  |  www
IE would not display the page I’m working on correctly. (And Oddly enough, Opera does)
Wednesday, May 04, 2005, 11:07:43 AM by Program Witch  |  email  |  www
Also add /KioskResetStation to the command line on that. You will need to edit the OperaDef6.ini file to set the reset time. See the Opera help page above for more info. This will force opera to go back to the home page after N amount of seconds. This is very handy if for some reason your page crashes. This will reset everything.

"C:\Program Files\Opera\opera.exe" /KioskMode /KioskResetStation

Oh and one more thing. Be sure to set all the browser preferences before you go into KioskMode. For example, turn off tooltips.