this post was submitted on 15 Oct 2023
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Title. Mainly asking for the library side, but PC cafe is also interesting to ask about.

Mainly since Windows 11 is 64-bit only, and it seems Windows 12 is going to subscription based on top of that, neither of which public libraries can afford tossing out computers and paying more in subscription fees than they make with overdue books.

My local library is only open for 2 days a week, due to a lack of funds for hiring more staff in the area. They use older Dell all in ones, and that just makes me think if they don't have the money for being open 5 days a week, they don't have the money to buy 4 new computers for the space.

Not even getting into the bigger libraries part of that system or the ones nearby. Some have 8 computers in groups, with 4 stations of groups.

So I was just wondering, if anyone has started or is aware of a Library/Public Computer focused linux-based OS? Perhaps one that allows immutable systems, and the library card system backed most use to enable end user access. Perhaps that's a config file tucked away somewhere.

And I guess the PC cafe OS is interesting, simply due to the fact that Linux gaming has been making huge strides, and PC cafes are still popular in Japan, Korea, and China.

EDIT: I am not in control or assistance to the library, just looking if there's a potential solution to libraries like mine. If I could give links to a library computer manager, or if I could give upstream bug reports to people making such software.

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[–] gegs@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago

To summarise: use a terminal server system if you can, using a desktop for the end user that can be made to behave like windows (or another concept that works for your demography), and have the whole setup in a NixOS configuration that you manage in git.

I see that https://github.com/ltsp/ltsp is still going strong.

[–] techognito@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago

I believe you want to look into libki. Works on Windows and Linux.

Linux Mint with this serves our local library.

[–] I_like_cats@lemmy.one 5 points 1 year ago

The public library in my city uses OpenSuse

I don't know if there's a distro made specifically with libraries in mind, but I would lean toward the Cinnamon DE because it's the easiest to fool people into thinking it's Windows out of the box.

The main issue would be folks coming in to use MS Office. LibreOffice compatibility with MS office's formats isn't perfect and sometimes it'll mangle formatting.

[–] LemmyIsFantastic@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago (15 children)

You people jump on wild rumors like crazy. Windows isn't going to be subscription based on 12.

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[–] urshanabi@lemmygrad.ml 3 points 1 year ago

I always thought Deepin Desktop looked close enough like Windows 10 or 11 that some people might not notice, may be worth trying.

Generally instead of starting off with all your eggs in one basket, it might be worth running say a different distro every week and recording the experiences patrons have and what the people who are doing IT support have. This kind of approach is scientific in nature and gives you relevant data (though only a small amount) for your current environment. It's also small scale and doesn't require huge start up cost to begin.

Wish you the best!

[–] Qkall@lemmy.ml 3 points 1 year ago

Puppy Linux and easyos have those options... It's been a bit since I've used them tho..

[–] mogul@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago (3 children)

They could do a thin client type of deal and just virtual desktops that get deleted at the end of the session. If they are on 32bit hardware that really limits options on operating systems but a single backend computer hosting virtual desktops can be a donated 64bit PC/Server.

[–] Trainguyrom@reddthat.com 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

The sad part is it seems that there isn't much of any thin client solutions that don't require a gigantic licensing fee that negates the savings of doing the thin clients

Also from my experience working helpdesk at an organization that was all thin clients, they're a pain to support because if anything happens the first thing people try to do is reboot it which tends to cause orphaned sessions on the server. For the public computers at the library that would matter less since very few people would need their profile that got disconnected, but it's still extra friction

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[–] webghost0101@sopuli.xyz 2 points 1 year ago

Does it need more then a webbrowser and a rfid card reader? I dont know how those library backend systen work but most systems save data in a plain ol database.

I don’t see a reason why they cant already use a limux based OS except that someone will need an employee or volunteer to set it all up and support.

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