Member Avatar for Syakoban

Hi,

We are web/Flash people but were asked if we can take on a project that I would describe as creating a shell environment for Windows (probably XP), to hide the normal Windows Interface.

The idea is for the company's employees to work in this environment and only have access to limited local apps. and never the Windows desktop or any other part of the OS. We would create a company branded graphic "overlay" with buttons to the apps (say MS Word or whatever) and the apps would open in a window (area) inside the overlay and function as normal.

We know how to make Flash full screen and pull data or video into it, but no idea on how to do this.

Is this even possible? Is it a C or VB or Adobe Air or what type of project? Has anyone done this before? Is this risky?

I appreciate your help guys.

Thanks.

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by Ancient Dragon
Member Avatar for Ancient Dragon

why not just take the existing desktop and remove all the desktop shortcuts and start menu items except those that you want to allow. That would be a lot easier (quicker and cheaper) than trying to reinvent the wheel (desktop). And that solution requires zero programming.

Edited by Ancient Dragon because: n/a
Member Avatar for Syakoban

Besides the fact that they don't want it to look like windows at all, is it possible to really do what you said? Can the windows start button and search be eliminated? And they are talking about an on screen keyboard with a touch screen and no physical keyboard too.

why not just take the existing desktop and remove all the desktop shortcuts and start menu items except those that you want to allow. That would be a lot easier (quicker and cheaper) than trying to reinvent the wheel (desktop). And that solution requires zero programming.

Member Avatar for Syakoban

This looks like it only works on Windows server

What do you mean by "it"?

Thanks.

Member Avatar for jonsca

What do you mean by "it"?

Apologies, I meant the group policy management console, which allows you to disable e.g., Run... command (that you can even do from Tweak UI) but probably most things you can imagine. This link says it does run on XP, evidently.
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=0a6d4c24-8cbd-4b35-9272-dd3cbfc81887&displaylang=en

I was just backing up Ancient's notion that it's probably a lot easier to make do with what windows already has built in than to try to secure a flash application. You could use flash to write a funky "application dock" that goes in place of the start menu.

Member Avatar for Syakoban

No problem - thanks for the help. Can you explain this a little further:

You could use flash to write a funky "application dock" that goes in place of the start menu.

I've never thought of using Windows like we were asked to do, so I'm ignorant about customizing it...

Can that dock wrap around the apps. (like Word or IE) - have an on-screen keyboard?

Member Avatar for Ancient Dragon

Besides the fact that they don't want it to look like windows at all, is it possible to really do what you said? Can the windows start button and search be eliminated? And they are talking about an on screen keyboard with a touch screen and no physical keyboard too.

There are lots of touch screens for Windows 7. Here are just a few

20+ years ago I wrote a touch-screen application for MS-DOS 6.X.

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