Hi Dave -

I have been using Macs in exhibitions for years with happy results.  
You can use Applescript to do various things including checking  
whether an app has crashed. Even better, in OS9 you could swap your  
app for the Finder, which means it would restart automatically if it  
crashed, and there was no proper Finder for visitors to get into. I  
haven't tried this in OSX but have heard it is possible.

If you like I can send you some applescripts that we used to do the  
Finder swap and do other things.

kevin


On 10 Jul 2008, at 18:56, J Martin wrote:

> Hi Dave,
>
> If you've got multiple MACs and could run one application per MAC,  
> then replacing the X Window Manager in MAC *cough* FreeBSD *cough*  
> OS X with a script to launch your application (and reboot if it  
> fails) is a simple way to achieve this. As long as it's just  
> touchscreens (i.e., not keyboards) this should suffice.
>
> I would have liked to let you know exactly how to do this except  
> the MAC I'm typing this on is running Ubuntu, not OS X. If you  
> weren't using proprietary application frameworks (Flash, Director)  
> it would be a lot easier as you could simply re-compile a suitable  
> locked-down Linux distro.
>
> Regards,
>
> James
>
> On Thu, 10 Jul 2008, Dave Patten wrote:
>
>> Date: Thu, 10 Jul 2008 15:02:39 +0100
>> From: Dave Patten <[log in to unmask]>
>> Reply-To: Museums Computer Group <[log in to unmask]>
>> To: [log in to unmask]
>> Subject: Re: [MCG] Using Apple Macs in exhibitions
>> Thanks to everyone who has replied so far.
>> Just to clarify, I am running stand alone applications not web  
>> apps or
>> pages so I am NOT using a browser.
>> Tony - I had found the Apple pages and thought they would provide the
>> solution but the links to the demo apps no longer work, I  
>> contacted Apple
>> about that but have had no response.
>>
>> Dave
>>
>>
>> Dave Patten
>> Head of New Media
>> The Science Museum
>> Exhibition Road
>> London
>> SW7 2DD
>>
>> Tel: 0207 942 4864
>> Web: www.sciencemuseum.org.uk
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Museums Computer Group [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of
>> Timothy Furmston
>> Sent: 10 July 2008 14:47
>> To: [log in to unmask]
>> Subject: Re: Using Apple Macs in exhibitions
>>
>> On 10/07/2008 13:39, "Tony Crockford" <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>>
>>> On 10 Jul 2008, at 13:11, Dave Patten wrote:
>>>
>>>> Hello,
>>>>
>>>> I am about to install some Macs in an exhibition at the Science
>>>> Museum (the first Macs we have used for about 8 years!) and am
>>>> looking for advice on the best way to lock the computers down so  
>>>> that
>>>> the public can only access the exhibit program and that if the
>>>> program crashes that they have no access to the underlying  
>>>> operating
>>>> system and filing system. I know their are a number of ways of  
>>>> doing
>>>> this and I just wondered what peoples expereinces were - how do you
>>>> do this and why do you do it in a particular way.
>>>> The Macs are running Flash and Director based applications under  
>>>> OSX
>>>> 10.5
>>>> (Leopard) and are controlled via a tocuhscreen.
>>>
>>> I assume you've worked through this:
>>> http://developer.apple.com/technotes/tn2002/tn2062.html
>>>
>>> see also:
>>> http://haoli.dnsalias.com/Saft/index.html
>>>
>>> which will imbue Safari with Kiosk mode
>>>
>>> Are the macs using standard keyboards or housed in kiosks or  
>>> something
>>> else?
>>>
>>> we generally use something like these for added security:
>>> http://www.amplicon.co.uk/IPC/product/Rugged-Kiosk-3737.cfm
>>>
>>> the fewer function keys the better!
>>>
>>>
>> Try taking a look at a browser called iCab (free to download).
>>
>> http://www.icab.de/
>>
>> It has an inbuilt kiosk mode with an addition preference panel to  
>> set it
>> up.
>> The setup is quite simple and quick but is also very good at  
>> automatically
>> disabling 'features' which preferably should not be active.
>>
>> Within system preferences trying taking a look at the universal  
>> access
>> keyboard shortcuts which can sometimes be activated using certain  
>> keys.
>> Also within SP there is the option to use parental controls which  
>> can be
>> set to only allow certain applications to be run under specified
>> circumstances.
>>
>>
>> ------------------------
>> Timothy Furmston
>> IT Officer
>> The Whitworth Art Gallery
>> University of Manchester
>>
>> **************************************************
>> For mcg information and to manage your subscription to the list,  
>> visit the website at http://www.museumscomputergroup.org.uk
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>>
>
> --
>
> Your object is to save the world, while still leading a pleasant life.
>
> Geek 01: "Not that it really matters, but since you were being a  
> semantic
> pedantic, I might as well be too."
>
> Geek 10: "You can't be a pedantic, because pedantic is an  
> adjective. The
> noun form is pedant."
>
> [log in to unmask] SDF-EU Public Access UNIX System - http://sdf-eu.org
>
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> visit the website at http://www.museumscomputergroup.org.uk
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