Zac Browser

[dmizer]

I frequently do computer work for a small special needs school. Ubuntu is a fantastic platform for special needs because I don't have to worry about bad/mal ware. There are a few good educational programs for Ubuntu that help as well, but I do frequently run into problems with overexcited clicking and typing.

Something I just read about in the news this evening really piqued my interest. It's called the Zac Browser, and it looks to be a fantastic answer to a lot of the problems faced by the students at my school. It's a browser developed to be easily operated by special needs children (specifically autism).

The problem is, the Zac Browser is only available in Windows executable format. So, my post is twofold:

1) I would like to have feedback on anyone else who's made use of this (review the browser).

2) Is there any possibility for contacting the developer for the source code with eyes toward a port to Linux/Ubuntu?

Here's the link for the homepage: http://www.zacbrowser.com/

[Sef]

2) Is there any possibility for contacting the developer for the source code with eyes toward a port to Linux/Ubuntu?

Here's the contact page. You should contact them and see if they would port it.

[dmizer]

i see that i should perhaps rephrase.

2) is there any real posibility (assuming the source code is obtained) that the browser can be ported to linux with full functionality?

[Sef]

2) is there any real posibility (assuming the source code is obtained) that the browser can be ported to linux with full functionality?

Yes, it could be. How much work would that take is another question. It is under a proprietary license, so probably it may just be easier to use Firefox as a basis.

[clifter1]

Zac Browser is basically a simple "Browser" that presents a number of links to various flash sites. Just Google search the internet and you can find the direct link to the flash games/vidoes/etc without using Zac browser. A few of the games I could not find and had to use Wireshark to sniff where Zac Browser was going to.

Here are two that my son goes to. (Clifford was impossible to find and I had to Wireshark it) Luckily (for once), since my son is Autistic, he plays the same two games, so porting zac browser over to linux was as easy as bookmarking the two links in firefox (with Flash enabled

Caillou http://pbskids.org/caillou/immersivegames/
Clifford http://www.tvokids.com/play/clifford/pet/default.html

[dmizer]

Zac Browser is basically a simple "Browser" that presents a number of links to various flash sites. Just Google search the internet and you can find the direct link to the flash games/vidoes/etc without using Zac browser. A few of the games I could not find and had to use Wireshark to sniff where Zac Browser was going to.

Here are two that my son goes to. (Clifford was impossible to find and I had to Wireshark it) Luckily (for once), since my son is Autistic, he plays the same two games, so porting zac browser over to linux was as easy as bookmarking the two links in firefox (with Flash enabled

Caillou http://pbskids.org/caillou/immersivegames/
Clifford http://www.tvokids.com/play/clifford/pet/default.html

Thank you for your reply!

When I was looking at the Zac browser, it seemed significantly more complex than that. Apparently I was deceived.

[ibbill]

First off thank you for the information was just awesome.

I have a granddaughter that is 8 years old and autistic.

Unfortunately she is unable to talk or use a mouse for clicking as of yet.

They have at the school she goes to a touch screen add on and she seems to be getting on using that its very old and only seems to work when it wants to. (like me)

With these sites that you showed this would be great for her at home.

Was wondering if anyone could recommend a computer with a 17 to 21 inch touch screen that I could purchase for her.

Thanks again for all your help here.

Bill