3

I would really like people to be able to use my locked computer to surf, so I would like some way to run a browser on login screen. So can I make GDM run Firefox in some way? It would be cooler if I could have a browser as a screensaver, but that seems a bit harder.

Please ignore all the security problems with this, if you let someone use your computer you have lost that race anyways. Though of course it would be nice to have a browser running as another user.

htorque
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Erik Johansson
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7 Answers7

4

There might be a way to do what you are thinking BUT

There are also some extensions for firefox that allow you to have the web browser open full screen and lock like a web kiosk at malls and schools and stuff

then it requires a password to close I believe

hope this helps

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/kiosk-browser-symbio-technolog/

ScottC
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3

Why don't you create a guest account that you switch to (as opposed to logging out or locking). Your account will stay active and locked, and they can browse the web or play solitaire..

djeikyb
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2

This may be overkill, but you asked for a browser running at login (I'd go for @djeikyb's answer):

As @djeikyb suggested, create a surf-only user but then let him start with a user defined session (see also this answer) with e.g. this lines in the ~/.xsession file:

#! /bin/bash

gnome-desktop &
firefox
logout

In this example Firefox will start on login. When Firefox quits we will be back at the GDM login. Firefox may start in fullscreen mode e.g. with addons @ScottC suggested to hide the desktop. Alternatively remove all unwanted desktop elements for this user.

To handle things easy you may also define a keyboard shortcut for fast user switching.

Community
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Takkat
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1

If it's still actual ... just add browser's launcher to

/usr/share/gdm/autostart/LoginWindow

and it will start automatically on the login page. Hope this will be helpful.

1

I am in total agreeance with the "nothing else on the screen" design principle. This seems like an awful headache to go through, to protect your computer from careless users. If you have a problem with people posting drunken messages to your contacts, you should not be trying to cater to them. This is not, in fact, 1992. If your troublemakers can't afford some of the world's cheaper computer solutions, they don't deserve to be doing anything but trying harder to pull their weight.

..but this whole browser, solitaire, etc in the login screen/screensaver thing is just a bad idea.

Ronaldo
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0

Install xtrlock (it's been around a long long time)

sudo apt install xtrlock

I just open the browser to the page I want and have a plugin refreshing the page at the interval desired.

Then open a terminal, and type:

sleep 5; xtrlock

This gives you 5 seconds to select the web browser and bring it into the foreground, hiding the terminal, and then it locks the screen. You have to enter the users password to unlock the screen.

Only down side is that it has a little lock icon where the mouse cursor would be, but I just move that into the corner.

Jeff
  • 21
0

set firefox as a startup application for guest-session and run

xautolock  -notify 10 -notifier 'notify-send "Screen will lock and  switch to guest in 10 seconds"' -time 1 -locker "dm-tool switch-to-guest"
gnomeutils
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