PCPAC is a PCLinux2007 reconfigured for safer use and designed for public access computing.

PCPAC allows office functions (OpenOffice.org), browsing (Firefox), mMedia (Amarok and Mplayer), instant messaging  and VOIP (Skype).

• Several applications or programs not advised for PACs have been removed, e.g. email clients are removed, web email is, of course, allowed.
  
• Firefox has been hardened so that there is not intersession memory of sites or forms entries.
• VOIP so students or other users may be in touch have been added.
• The system boots into user/user automatically, minimizing staff involvement.
• Shutdown and Restart icons are prominently displayed so staff can easily manage the system.
• An Update Notifier has been added to minimize the staff involvement with updates.  Automatic, daily updates will be done soon.
• The firewall has been configured to a more hardened state.
• Caches have been minimized and are cleared, or eliminated, wherever possible.
• User History is cleared on browser shutdown.

 PCPAC is a very safe, very easy to test, very easy to install, basis for a Public Access Computing workstation.

Techy note:  I am fully aware that LTSP is a superior, even more efficient, safer and more effective solution for schools and libraries.  PCPAC is considered a step in the path to LTSP solutions.  We had an LTSP/Neoware demo up and all that I can say is that the few demonstrations were confusedly received.

I figure that for some environments we have to get workstations moved over to a superior solution  before we can address centralizing the software on a server.