The Library Network (TLN) Technology Committee
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Overview of Alternative Browsers

Important Links:

Public Web Browser

K-Meleon

Email Us with ANY questions!

 

The Presentation:

Contents

Introduction

Why can't we keep using Netscape 4?

Why not just use Internet Explorer or later versions of Netscape?

  • The default installation for Internet Explorer or later versions of Netscape have many security holes.
  • Locking them down is difficult and even then, they can not be completely secured.
  • Internet Explorer 6 can't be installed on older systems (Windows95).

What are the alternatives?

  • Expensive security software that can be unstable and difficult to configure.
  • Hope for the best.
  • Alternative browsers...

Why would we use alternative browsers?

  • Easier to configure and secure.
  • Less features for patrons to abuse.
  • Support all current HTML standards and plugins.

So what are the alternatives?

  • Public Web Browser
  • K-Meleon

 

Public Web Browser

What is it?

PWB is a web browser created by a library techie especially for use in a public setting, on computers that are shared by many people. It works very well in a public library!

Why would I want to use PWB, instead of Internet Explorer or Netscape?

PWB can be customized to fit the needs of your public environment:

  • It is just a web browser; it does not include functionality for email or news in the browser.
  • However, since it requires IE, it supports all the web pages that IE supports.
  • The public cannot change the customization settings put in place by your staff.
  • It is simply more secure than IE, by design.

What are some of the key features?

With PWB, you can choose from a large number of settings, including the following:

  • Show or hide any buttons or menu options that you want
    • Hide some default buttons that are not necessary in your environment, such as About, Cut, or Favorites
  • Set the home page of the browser
  • Set a default search page
  • Restrict browser access to only a select group of web sites
    • Perfect for workstations that are only to be used for a library catalog or subscription databases
  • Disable browser access to a certain group of web sites
  • Hide the address location bar
    • On a catalog or database station, hide the address location bar so patrons cannot type in any other URL.
  • Include a copy of your Internet policy accessible right in the browser
  • Set a group of bookmarks or hide bookmarks
  • Disable closing the browser window, or automatically restart it if closed (using additional software: Auto-Restart)
    • Particularly useful so that Web catalog windows do not remain closed - Also helps patrons who do not know how to launch the browser at an Internet station
  • Disable the right mouse click
  • Clear the browser cache on a click to Home or Exit
    • Great for privacy concerned patrons
  • Increase/decrease the font size right in the browser window
  • Set actions based on activity/inactivity
  • Run in Kiosk mode

How do I customize the browser?

  • All of the browser settings are stored in the file called PublicBrowser.ini. This file is installed in C:\Program Files\PublicBrowser by default.
  • When you look at this file (in Notepad or another simple text editor), the first half of the file contains lines that begin with a semi-colon (;). These lines are comments, explaining the different settings in PWB. If you scroll past all the lines of comments, you will find the active settings. If a setting is not listed with a value assigned to it, it is assumed that the value is False.
  • When you make a change in this file, you must close and restart PWB before they will take effect.
  • A complete list of the PWB customization settings can be found at http://teamsoftware.bizland.com/files/PWB126.doc

Where can I get it?

Are there any special requirements?

  • PWB is actually an interface for Internet Explorer. So you must first have IE 5.5 or higher installed on your computer. IE can be downloaded from Microsoft at http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/downloads/default.asp
  • There are some minimal requirements for computers running IE or PWB. They should be running Windows 95, 98, NT, or 2000. They should have a Pentium processor and at least 32MB of RAM. Certainly, computers with higher specifications would work better.
  • PWB is downloaded as a .zip file, so you will need WinZip or a similar program to unpack the .zip file. WinZip is available from http://www.winzip.com.

How do I install it?

  1. If you do not have Internet Explorer 5.5 or higher installed, first you need to download and install that.
  2. Then download PWB from http://teamsoftware.bizland.com.
  3. It will download with a filename like PublicBrowser128.zip. Find and double-click on the zip file, and to initiate the install. Follow the prompts to walk through the installation. By default, it will install in C:\Program Files\PublicBrowser.

How do I launch PWB?

  • The executable file is PublicBrowser.exe. This file is installed in C:\Program Files\PublicBrowser by default.

What are some other key files in the installation directory?

  • Bookmark.txt - This file contains the contents of predefined Bookmarks (lists title and URL of the web site).
  • NoAccess.txt - If using the NoAccess feature to block web sites, this file contains the list of blocked web sites.
  • OnlyAccess.txt - If using the OnlyAccess feature to limit web sites, this file contains the list of web sites allowed access to.
  • Policy.txt - This file contains the contents of the text box that appears under the Help Menu > Policy.
  • PublicBrowser.exe - This is the application executable to launch PWB.
  • PublicBrowser.ini - This contains the configuration for all the features and options in PWB. See the section above on "How do I customize the browser?" for further information.