dotnet application to moderate pc usage
I want to build something similar to the application used in internet/gaming cafes. where a fullscreen application/page covers the entire screen. We can't alt-f4, close, minimize, force quit the window. The window has username and password input and only after entering those we can access the pc. This tracks a person's usage and doesn't let someone surf more than their time. The OS will always be windows
I'm completely new to dotnet/c# but have experience with cpp, java. So my question is: is it possible to do this using dotnet? how should I be building this? Any advice, resource or similar project will help. Thanks
13 Replies
I just need something that can't be easily bypassed by closing, minimizing, moving to desktop2/screen2 etc.
dotnet isn't really a great fit for this.
then what should I be using?
there's a number of windows calls you need to make that just aren't really available to dotnet very easily.
so, something with more access to the OS, c++, etc.
winrt might have some stuff, but I'm not sure.
by C++ you mean building QT app?
I don't know much about building desktop applications
can I build good UI on them?
I don't really build a lot of desktop apps outside of the casual winforms or wpf apps, there are some things you can do in regard to what you're looking for, some of it comes down to how critical failure is.
you've already pointed out a couple work arounds that would overcome most of what you can do dotnet wise.
got it
I will read a bit about winRT and cpp application
Thanks
I wish I could be of more help, my goal here was to sorta let you know dotnet isn't really designed for that level of OS access.
no problem. I just needed a direction
I mean, you can make an app which you can't close or Alt+F4 in .net very simple
If you need it to be completely unhackable, I don't know how to do it, but if a simple fool proof protection is all that is required, then you can do it in any UI framework
That won't stop task manager and such to close it
Such a system should be configured on the os rights level to prevent that. The app should run with admin rights, while the signed in user has lower permissions. As a secondary precaution, a Windows service running in the background can keep track of the desktop application and restart it if necessary
This would ensure the app starts even if the PC is rebooted
Sure, but it's still trivial to close by other means.