Topic: desired feature restriction?

the issue has come up a couple of times where people want to be able to partially restrict the access to all the features of the chumby... for instance: http://forum.chumby.com/viewtopic.php?id=9412 and most recently, someone who's young boys had figured out how to get into the channel selector on their chumby, and delete all the widgets.

Duane and I were kicking around a couple ideas, of perhaps being able to have an option from the web page that would let you 'lock' a chumby to a channel, so that, from that chumby, you couldn't change it to a different channel. possibly restricting access to other features as well.

we're looking for your thoughts on the matter, whether there's enough interest to make it worth putting on the 'todo' list, as well as how best to use that function... a single lock? multiple levels of access control, etc.

thoughts?

Cleaning up any loose bits and bytes.

Re: desired feature restriction?

I don't have a use case, but if it's gonna be done then this is an initial idea of how I think it should be done ... :-)

The lock should be per-chumby.  So if I have a Chumby at home for the kids then that could be locked, but the one I took into the office is unlocked.

A Chumby that is locked can only select from a pre-defined list of channels.  So, for example, a parent might make a number of themed channels for the kids, and the kids can select the theme they like.  This list is per-chumby.

A Chumby that is locked can not make any modifications other than the channel selector and navigation within the channel (forward/backward action, etc).

A Chumby that is locked can not be reactivated onto another account.

Re: desired feature restriction?

My current locking mechanism is using a high shelf, but I know that won't last. smile