Public Access Macintosh (Summary)

[Domingo Arroyo]

Hello:
Here you have the summary of the responses of my query about security of
public access Mac.
Thank you to everyone who helped me.
We are going to use At Ease that seem to be the best
========
ORIGINAL QUESTION:
We are setting up a Mac IIvx and a PowerPc for public access workstations in
our Library.
Please, anybody know any kind of kiosk software or trick in order to limit
the users access to specific programs (bibliographic search software, web
browser...).

RESPONSES:

>I highly recommend a product called Foolproof from a company named
>SmartStuff.  They have a web site at http://www.smartstuff.com which
>discribes the software features.  It works well, is inexpensive, and
>is truely "foolproof".  It changed a situation where I was rebuilding
>one of our 7 public macs every few days to one where I never have any
>problems.
>
>Mike Poulin
>mpoulin at liber.ithaca.edu
------------------
>We are currently experimenting with a program called 'On Guard' to provide
>security on our Macs (II ci's & LC II's).  Our University Computing
>department is currently using RevRDist (which they are rather unhappy
>with) and are looking into MacAdmin which seems to be promising.
>Michael Huber                                  mhuber1 at umbc.edu
-----------------
>Apple sells a product called At Ease. You can find it for about $30 in the
>USA. Since it is made by Apple, it fits in well with the Mac OS and
>generally works flawlessly. (Especially if you are doing something simple
>like a kiosk.) You should be able to find it anywhere that sells Mac software.
>Bill Jenkins     wcj1 at cornell.edu
------------------------------------
>We use a few programs to limit access of the computer software and system.
>
>1. MacAdministrator (this is a hard program to work with, it is from England)
>2. SurfWatch (limits Netscape)
>Jennifer L. Sarber
>http://www.statelib.lib.in.us
-------------------------------
>I have 20 Macs, both PowerPC and older 68030-series. We use At Ease v3.0
>for the menu/security program. It works very well for Security and for
>providing an easy to use Menu System. It collects basic statistics, but
>that could be improved. Very easy to install and setup.
>Charles A. Summerhill  http://www.librarylrc.uams.edu/
-----------------------------
>We are also a Mac house.  I use SmartStuff's software FoolProof.  It is made be
>a company here in Portland, Or.  The rep that I work with is Linda Fish.  Her
>email adress is lindad at smartstuff.com.  If you contact her please let her know
>I sent you.
>Good luck.  I know it's a real headache to keep students out of the system
>files without something like this.
>Jennie L. McKee                  email: jennie at reed.edu
----------------------------------
>I've used "At Ease for Workgroups" at a school here in Zambia and it seems
>to work pretty well a restricting users to various software.  (It also stops
>them getting to the finder and trashing your system folder etc).  I've run
>it on a everything from a Classic II to a Power PC.
>Mike Hall
>zpa at zamnet.zm
>aesl at zamnet.zm
----------------------
>The best thing I've come across for Mac's is a little programme called
>"At Ease". You can limit user access to whatever programmes you like and
>even have diferent levels of access for different users. I have been
>running a powermac with at Ease for about a year now and have had no
>problems. It also has the benefit of a reasonably friendly interface with
>nice big icons to click for the users.
>>Grant White              Internet:ulgw at dewey.newcastle.edu.au
------------------------------

| Domingo Arroyo Fernandez
| CSIC - Centro Nacional de Biotecnologia
| Biblioteca y Documentacion
| Campus Universidad Autonoma. Cantoblanco.
| 28049 Madrid (Spain)
| Tel:(+34-1) 585 45 11 Fax:(+34-1) 585 45 06
| Buzon-e: darroyo at samba.cnb.uam.es
| http://www.cnb.uam.es/~biblio