The following guide pertains to KioWare OS for the Linux® operating system, henceforth referred to as KioWare OS.
| What is the purpose? | Allows you to lock down your kiosk or computer, so that it can be used securely as a digital sign or self-service tool. In other words, when using KioWare OS, you ensure that no one can turn off your kiosk/computer, hack into it, or damage any applications you are running on it. You can also limit which applications are run on it, as well as which websites the browser can access. |
| What are the key components? | KioWare OS (a browser shell application) and the KioWare OS Configuration Tool (Config Tool), which contains all the settings for running the KioWare OS browser |
| How does it work? | You first use the Config Tool to set up how you want KioWare OS to work. The Config Tool then “talks” to the KioWare OS browser, telling it how to run. The browser is opened by installing KioWare OS on your computer or device (see Installation, Installation Instructions), and launching it via a button in the Config Tool. Once running, it creates a safe environment for public use of your kiosk/computer. |
| What is the application type? | Browser-based and is based on the Chromium browser, the underlying project for Google's Chrome browser |
| Where is it installed? | KioWare OS is a desktop application. When installing on a virtual machine, both its Config Tool and browser application are typically installed in a default folder on your kiosk/computer [see Installation, Installation Instructions, Virtual Machine (x86_64)], but if you want to, you can install them in any other folder. KioWare can also be installed using an SD card, USB flash drive, or built-in flash memory, depending on the platform being used (see Installation, Installation Instructions). |
| What is in it? | Multiple tools to give your browser and kiosk/computer the highest security, set custom passwords, open your favorite web pages, add custom toolbars, stop certain keys or key combinations from being used, automatically load/update settings saved to a file, schedule days/times for certain shutdown actions, and access applications. (See KioWare OS Tools below.) |
| Who can access it? | Whomever you want. An exit password (passcode) and other security features keep unwanted users from exiting the KioWare OS browser and accessing system files and other items on your kiosk/computer. |
| What are some important things to know about running it? | You will want to set a home page (see “Start Page URL” on the General tab of the Config Tool) that appears when you open the KioWare OS browser. If no home page is set, the KioWare OS Welcome screen will show.
Also, by default, the KioWare OS browser is not locked down for the highest protection; you must change settings in the Config Tool (Quick Start Guide, Configuration Tool) to be fully secure and ready for public use.
KioWare OS runs in Demo mode. Demo mode simply means that it will periodically show a nag screen until you buy a license (enter information on the License tab to acquire or activate a license). Other than that, KioWare OS is fully functioning.
Additionally, be sure to set up a printer for users of your kiosk (select “Printer Setup” on the Applications tab to set up printers).
Note: When using the Config Tool, there is a menu button near the top right corner (shown as an ellipsis). Selecting this button opens a menu containing options for loading default settings, importing/exporting settings, contacting KioWare technical support, and shutting down.
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| General tab | Provides basic settings for using your kiosk/computer and KioWare OS (e.g., sets main home page and additional start pages, enables KioWare OS to auto-load or auto-update settings from a remote settings file, and tells KioWare OS if any applications need to auto-start) |
| Browser tab | Determines how the KioWare OS browser will run during a user session (e.g., how zooming, popup windows, script errors, SSL errors, printing, browser cache/data, and geolocation are handled) |
| Attract/Inactivity tab | Determines how the KioWare OS browser will run when sitting idle between user sessions (e.g., what screens will show, when and for how long, if alerts should appear, if screens should loop, and custom timeouts for specific screens) and what actions KioWare OS should complete when a user session ends (clear clipboard, clear print queue, change volume, redirect to a specific URL, etc.) |
| User Interface tab | Used to set up multiple browser windows, spacers (blocks of space between items in the browser), and toolbars (e.g., size, position, buttons for using both KioWare OS and other software applications, address bar, indicators, and pictures) in the KioWare OS browser, and also sets how scrollbars, Linux taskbar, mouse cursor, context menu, and virtual keyboard/language are handled |
| Keyboard Filtering tab | Tells KioWare OS to allow or block certain keyboard keys (e.g., Delete, Escape, and the Function keys) and certain combinations of keys (e.g., Ctrl+Alt+Delete and Alt+Tab), and also used to set up hot keys |
| Security tab | Sets up security for KioWare OS and your kiosk/computer (e.g., creating options for exiting the browser, setting web pages or web page scripts and protocols that the KioWare OS browser will allow or block, monitoring the health of the KioWare OS software such as for crashing or hanging up, automatically signing into basic authenticated websites, handling of downloads, and specifying which files/folders users can access) |
| Scheduled Actions tab | Allows you to schedule actions (e.g., shutting down or rebooting your kiosk/computer, putting it to sleep, or auto-starting a software application/program) that KioWare OS will automatically complete on select dates and times or the same dates and times each week, month, etc. |
| System Settings tab | Used to tell KioWare OS what system settings you want to use (e.g., changing logon password and setting system volume, language, date, and time) |
| Applications tab | Allows KioWare OS to open system applications (e.g., File Browser, Network Manager, Launch Terminal, Printer Setup, and Log Viewer) |
| License tab | Shows information on your KioWare OS license and can be used to activate or update a license |
| About tab | Shows information on your KioWare OS license (e.g., KioWare version number and revision number) that is useful to our customer support staff if you ever have technical problems, and also used to check for and install updates |
| Advanced tab | Provides advanced settings for computer programmers and testers to use when monitoring and debugging custom code or software running with KioWare OS (e.g., tells KioWare OS how to handle messages, use custom Chrome flags, and define substitution variables that will be unique to your kiosk or computer) |
KioWare OS allows the use of JavaScript. You can use JavaScript commands to tell KioWare OS to complete special actions. For more details on how to do this, see the KioWare OS API documentation.