Best browser for students with Mandatory profiles

[Gibbo]

Tired of fake Java redirects reporting on our AV server because of IE, what's the best / easiest to deploy alternative browser out there?

I'm looking mainly at Firefox, Opera and Chome.

We use a proxy, have mandatory profiles but application data isn't redirected in any way.

Are the portable versions any better than a standard install?

I noticed there's a thread on Firefox deployment but its quite large and goes back a fair way, so wondered if there have been any recent developments which may make the task easier.

TIA.

[FN-GM]

Chrome would be a good one as you can get MSI installers and group policy templates.

[Gibbo]

Just found this: Chrome for Business. Thank you.

[cpjitservices]

Chrome - because we could never stop students disabling proxy settings in Firefox as we couldn't lock it down but since Chrome uses IE settings you can lock it down via GP.

[Gibbo]

I've been testing and configuring this for a couple of days and its seems promising.

My only issue at the moment is the "search choice screen" which appears when Chrome is launched. This disappears if you redirect a couple of folders in Group Policy to their H drives - this then creates a folder called "DEFAULT" and a couple of system files - First Run and LocalState.

How have you guys done it? I'm guessing you could copy these files into the pupil mandatory profile?

[Finch7]

How have you guys stopped access to chrome://flags ?

[FN-GM]

How have you guys stopped access to chrome://flags ?

I think you can block it using the chrome group policy templates

[Finch7]

I think you can block it using the chrome group policy templates

Got them installed and it's not an option I've come across in admin templates\google (both comp or user)

It could very well be an unintuitive name if some one who has it blocked wants to point it out. thanks.

[Finch7]

How have you guys stopped access to chrome://flags ?

like this, I double checked the policies and found a way.

disable chrome tools.png

[Shaun_Dark_Lord]

We're currently looking at deploying Chrome - Glad to know others are having a positive experience.

[Finch7]

Well it's in the testing phase but I think I've managed to destroy it enough to let the kids at it. The rational behind the 2nd browser (IE being the first) is that our ICT department scheme of work requires (created) website testing on more than one platform.

[Shaun_Dark_Lord]

I've found that Firefox does a good job of highlighting poor html/css.

We're thinking of changing as we like the idea of centralised plugin deployment, and Chrome is nice and small which works nicely with our thin clients.