zotero and public computers

nwy
I am a new zotero user and I'm trying to get set up so I can use portable zotero (installed on usb drive) on both personal laptops and also on public library computers. Most public computers (at least where I work) have restrictions where .exe files cannot be initiated by users. I understand this is to prevent viruses entering the network. Any work around to launching Firefox from the USB drive? If there was a post on this already, please point me to the correct place.
  • noksagt
    edited February 1, 2008
    Talk to your librarians. They'll hopefully either allow an exception for your copy of firefox or may see the utility into providing firefox to all of their users.
  • nwy
    Of course my library offers Firefox on the public computers, but my question relates directly to allowing a user to launch portable firefox from a hard drive. This is completed by allowing a user to launch an .exe file. As I mentioned .exe files from portable media are not allowed. If i used their version of Firefox, wouldn't I have to install the Zotero plug-in every time I sat down at the computer? And then proceed to export/import my library every time as well?

    There is the solution of only using one dedicated computer and therefore one instance of zotero, but not everybody finds it convenient to carry a laptop with them everywhere they go. Surely there is a better solution?
  • noksagt
    edited February 5, 2008
    Of course my library offers Firefox on the public computers
    Consider yourself lucky! At one library that I use (that actually promotes Zotero) does not have Firefox.
    but my question relates directly to allowing a user to launch portable firefox from a hard drive. This is completed by allowing a user to launch an .exe file. As I mentioned .exe files from portable media are not allowed.
    Yes. And my point was that the only people who can change your ability to run your own executables on those machines are the people who maintain those machines. There's no workaround.
    If i used their version of Firefox, wouldn't I have to install the Zotero plug-in every time I sat down at the computer?
    You tell me. Some public machines will still let you have your own profile. If so, you'd only have to install Zotero once. Other public machines do not retain profile information. You'd either have to install it with each login session or use their copy of firefox with your own profile. This is done with the '-P' command line argument. Again, I'm not sure how your machines are configured. Some machines may allow you to open a command prompt or the 'Run...' dialog or may allow you to change or add a shortcut. Others would require administrative intervention to achieve this.
    And then proceed to export/import my library every time as well?
    There is a Zotero preference for the location of your database. Once the extension is installed, you do not have to import/export every time.
  • kieren
    Actually I was thinking about this. My library has moved to firefox as their default browser, but the computers are pretty locked-down - no running .exes on flash drives for example.

    So it would be nice if for "location of zotero db" preference item if there was an option to "ask for location of zotero db on startup (for public workstations)".

    My goal is to get my institution off endnote onto something less insane, so this would be a good first step in providing the usability to make this happen.
  • nwy
    Thanks. I'll see what sort of headway I can make regarding public machine changes.
  • dstillman
    So it would be nice if for "location of zotero db" preference item if there was an option to "ask for location of zotero db on startup (for public workstations)".
    That's a good idea, and one we've wanted to do for a while, but it's a little problematic to implement. Zotero can't just prompt for a database location when the Zotero pane is opened, because Zotero loads when Firefox starts and provides saving from the URL bar even if the pane isn't opened. But prompting every user of the public computer for a Zotero DB location on Firefox startup isn't really very nice either.

    This should really happen at the system/network level, with a user logging in to a public computer and having their Firefox profile automatically available on the system (or at least having the Firefox preferences file synched to a network share, which would allow the user to set the DB location once for all public computers).
  • kieren
    edited February 5, 2008
    "This should really happen at the system/network level, with a user logging in to a public computer and having their Firefox profile automatically available on the system (or at least having the Firefox preferences file synched to a network share, which would allow the user to set the DB location once for all public computers)."
    Not going to work in my library as login is anonymous. A solution I can see is a separate profile - "Firefox (zotero users)" that asks for the location of the db on startup. So then non-zotero users don't get nagged on startup, and besides, providing a cancel button would be fine for people who accidentally open the wrong firefox profile.

    A bit kludgy, but kludges like that are ok if rare and documented
  • MsMSM
    Does zotero 2.0 eliminate the need to have a copy of my library on a USB or network drive? Can I access my library, edit, and add to it from public computers just by logging in? Thanks.
  • noksagt
    If you are able to use firefox+zotero on a public machine, you will be able to sync your zotero.org library with the library on that public machine.
  • MsMSM
    Thanks, I just succeeded in accessing my library and adding to it on a public workstation, but MY library now appears to be THE library on that machine.

    I removed my username and password from the sync preferences, un-installed zotero, and cleared all personal data when restarting firefox. I logged out, logged back in, re-installed zotero and my library is still there ...
  • Tjowens
    Your data is stored independently from the application. Read up on data here. You should not need to remove Zotero all you need to do is get rid of your zotero.sqlite and your storage folder.
  • noksagt
    If you login to the machine with your own username and password, then you most likely have your own firefox profile & your zotero data will have the same protections (or lack there of) of the other documents that you keep on that machine. Other users would most likely not see your zotero when they logged in (though, depending on the effort they went to & how that machine was administered, they could if you did not delete it).

    If you share a single login with multiple people, then you'd need to be more concerned. If you just want to prevent people from inadvertently/casually accessing/changing your data, you could setup your own firefox profile. If you care about keeping your database "secret," you'd need to either delete it per tjowens or encrypt it.
  • komrade
    edited August 27, 2009
    The 2.0 syncing is great for accessing your database remotely from a public computer, just by logging in to zotero.org.

    But is there a way to add items remotely, without having to:
    a) install zotero 2.0 (if your library even uses firefox)
    b) add your details in the preferences and thus make a zotero storage folder on the public machine,
    c) sync,
    d) add your stuff,
    e) having to then delete the storage folder?

    Any tips?
  • Tjowens
    You currently need to install the Zotero client to add items to your Zotero library. There are plans to eventually support other methods for adding items to your Zotero library, but these will not likely be available in the near future.

    With that noted I generally find that it is not particularly cumbersome in it's current form. If I just want to capture one or two items I will just send links to my email account to remember to add them later. If I plan to add several items I will install Zotero (takes about 3 seconds), pop open the preferences pane type in my sync credentials and hit the sync button. Then grab whatever items I need and hit the sync button again. In most cases public computers wipe out the Firefox profile after every use, so at least in my case I do not need to delete the zotero.sqlite database.

    If you find yourself making extensive use of public computers you might also consider using Zotero with portable Firefox to make your entire collection portable on a USB key.
  • komrade
    Hey thanks TJ.
    I just send the URLs to myself too, and I don't need it much, but I had some questions from students - they use library computers much more often than me.
    I'm running part 2 of the Zotero intro session for them next week - I'll just recommend the old link-in-the-email trick...
    The Zotero on a USB stick might have become a little obsolete with 2.0 and webdav. I always forgot to bring it with me anyway!
  • pfernandutk
    Thanks for all of the help on this issue.

    The deleting the file work-around is helpful, but I would like to second the notion that an additional "sync" option that puts all of your data onto the server and then erases the local file for when you are on a public computer would be very very handy.
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