
Mac OS X Lion Can Run in Chrome OS-Like Browser Only Mode - codelion
http://www.macrumors.com/2011/06/12/mac-os-x-lion-can-run-in-chrome-os-like-browser-only-mode/
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ugh
Quite the confused article. I did some digging of my own and here is what I
found:

In order to use this you need to install iCloud and enable 'Find my Mac' (this
allows you to locate and wipe your Mac should it be stolen). The guest account
is then repurposed and will only reboot to the recorvery partition (which is
also new in Lion) and only allow guests to open up Safari and connect to WLAN
networks. As soon as they quit Safari the computer shuts down.

If you have secured your Mac with a password, logging into the guest account
is the only thing thieves can do. iCloud cleverly uses this to goad thieves
into going online and broadcasting their position as well as allowing for
remote wipes – it even displays instructions for how to connect to WLAN
networks when it boots up – while still not allowing them to access any of
your files.

This is not supposed to compete with Chrome OS. It doesn't have a password
manager and you can't download anything. It also won't remember anything after
a reboot.

By the way, you can now also sart up Safari when booting into the recovery
partition normally. That's also new and it's just useful but nothing else.

Apples's answer to Chrome OS is the iPad with iOS, not OS X running only
Safari. If you don’t understand that then you have understood nothing about
Apple.

~~~
FrojoS
Precisely! Why would I care about a browser only mode for every day use? I
have not rebooted my Air in weeks.

So there is two applications, right?

1) Surf station, if your borrow your Mac to a friend or stranger once in a
while. 2) Anti theft.

Sure, running the browser only might increase browsing performance a bit. But
I guess it won't make a big difference. Avoiding Flash and a add blocker is
way more effective.

Has anyone seen any other recent advances in anti theft? Will the new Mac Air
have a lock? The current one doesn't and I find that very annoying. There used
to be a USB stick that would trigger an alarm when pulled without password
deactivation. But I can't find it anymore and last time I check it was
discontinued on Amazon.

Any solutions? Otherwise, lets build one and pitch it over Kickstarter!

~~~
FrojoS
Can't edit anymore: [http://www.sourcingmap.com/usb-antitheft-security-alarm-
for-...](http://www.sourcingmap.com/usb-antitheft-security-alarm-for-laptop-
notebook-p-64875.html) Looks nice but clumsy. I was looking for something, the
size of a USB thumb drive.

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trjordan
Huh?

I get the appeal of the stripped-down interface (I'm typing this on a cr-48,
which I love). But if I have my Mac, with it's reliable suspend/resume and
otherwise reasonable battery life, why would I restart it to do something I
could do by starting a browser?

The trade-off of the Chromebook, or similar, is that you pay less and can
carry somewhat thinner/lighter hardware because it's somewhat special purpose.
If I've already paid for a MacBook, and I'm already carrying it, what reason
would I have not to just use the main OS?

~~~
tmgrhm
It's for people who want to lend their Mac to a friend, but don't want them
having access to all their already-signed in accounts, to applications like
Mail, and all your files. I suppose places with public-usage Macs could also
use this to keep clientele restricted to just using the web.

Also, seeing as this boots from the Recovery partition, it means that, should
your Lion install go belly-up, you've still got internet access, which I think
is brilliant.

~~~
trjordan
The recovery and kiosk cases make sense to me, but seem pretty special-
purpose.

The proposal here that doesn't make sense to me is the idea that I'm going to
hand my computer to a friend (who I presumably trust with my Mac) and not
trust them to sign out of my gmail when they want to check their gmail. Also,
the use case of "Can I borrow your computer?" is almost always quick, and, in
my experience, rebooting a Mac is not quick enough. I'd much rather give them
my laptop with an incognito window open than resign myself to rebooting my
laptop after they're done (even if application state saving works perfectly,
rebooting is still a 30 second affair).

If they can make it quick, then it seems like a great idea, but forcing a
reboot to get into this mode seems to relegate it to special cases.

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pornel
It could be a "safe mode/single user mode" for mortals — you fix your computer
by Googling (or booking appointment with Apple Genius :)

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clloyd
This will be great if you need to lend your laptop to someone. No need to
worry about them seeing your files etc. They can do what they need.

Like this idea!

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unkoman
Probably used for kiosks?

~~~
codelion
I agree, may be there is room for such use cases, large display screens,
kiosks etc where it may be configured to be used in an os-like mode.

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flocial
I guess the day when we don't have to restart a Mac everytime they update
Safari is a forlorn dream.

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asadotzler
That isn't a Chrome OS-like browsing mode at all. It's just a browser kiosk
mode.

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john2x
That's pretty clever.

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scrrr
Kiosk-mode? For internet-cafes.

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chrisjsmith
I don't see the point of all the hype here. It's not exactly innovation. You
can do that with windows by setting the shell to:

    
    
        "iexplore.exe -k http://startpage/"
    

You have been able to do that since Internet Explorer 2.0 on Windows 95 back
in 1995.

~~~
lawnchair_larry
Not quite, because that still gives you full access to the entire machine
(especially in Windows 95).

~~~
chrisjsmith
You wouldn't apply it alone. Group policy (gpedit.msc) which IE only respects
will allow you to block access to the remainder of the machine.

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rounak
This is big!

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jonknee
Seems like they could have at least used the whole screen.

~~~
cmelbye
There's a full screen icon in the top right corner of the Safari window that
will put it into full screen mode.

