Windows 8.1 and Kiosk Mode - still a moving target at this point, but...

[LilBambi]

Blue’s Clues: Kiosk Mode - WinSuperSite

A new feature called Kiosk Mode has emerged in recent leaked builds of Windows 8.1 “Blue,” leading to some speculation. But there’s no need to speculate: Kiosk Mode works just fine in Blue build 9374, and you can test it yourself if you’d like.

Kiosk Mode appears to be unrelated to previous efforts in Windows—like the Guest Mode feature that was removed from Windows 7, Windows SteadyState, or even Windows MultiPoint Server—that were aimed at helping multiple users share PCs in homes or corporate and educational installations. Instead, Kiosk Mode is exactly what it sounds like, a kiosk solution. That is, it provides a way to run a single application only, so that it can be left running in a public place like a museum, airport, retail store, hotel, mall or similar.

Blue's Clues: Enabling Kiosk Mode - WithinWindows.com

This one has a walk through on how to enable it. This was posted in April 2013. Apparently the builds have included and excluded Kiosk Modes at times.

I hope that Kiosk Mode will be totally included in Windows 8.1 especially for Internet Cafes and parents who want their young children to have access but only to certain things.

 

[niemiro]

This looks excellent! At least it should be quite secure, being a Microsoft product.

I can't remember exactly where I saw it, but some security researchers did some tests on all the common kiosk software packages currently available, and without a single exception managed to break out of them all.

Somehow, I suspect that will not be nearly so easy here. Microsoft have an excellent reputation for secure and reliable code, and even when there is a bug there somewhere, they do at least fix it quickly.

 

[LilBambi]

Hi Richard! I hope Microsoft keeps it built-in to the OS too.

I would think it would be much safer than some third party Kiosk sofware.

The OS vendor sould be able to hook into the OS much tighter and safer/secure way all around.

However, if someone needs one before Microsoft makes up it's mind whether to keep it in Win 8.1 or not, there's always these alternatives (albeit maybe not as safe as if Microsoft would keep it in the OS):

Kiosk Sofware - Windows 8

 

[Temmu]

now ~there's~ the perfect use for metro - a kiosk with touch screen and large, colorful easy to use buttons!

 

[LilBambi]

Yep!