Setting up Linux to automatically launch a browser in a "kiosk" session

At work, we have some monitoring systems which we like to display on separate screens. These screens are connected to old computers which have been reinstalled with Windows. We have them set to auto-launch the displays, but it took some fiddling to get the chrome windows launched and positioned correctly. These instructions use xorg - I'm still not sure on Wayland... will be great when they figure out quick solution for "remote desktop".

Bringing it all together..

Adding an IP alias to OVH dedicated server

So, as you may have guessed, recently I've moved hosting from a dedicated server at Lunarpages, to a dedicated server at OVH. Lunarpages kept the system I was on going reliably for years (indeed, I'm slowly still migrating services from it), but just couldn't match what I got included by OVH.

Anyway, to keep some things separate, I like to use separate public IPs for them. In the past, you'd just add a stanza to /etc/network/interfaces, and your work was done... but I opted for Ubuntu Server 17.10, and well - it does things differently!

Changing Ubuntu Natty 11.04 grub default booting operating system

Recently an acquaintance's computer needed significant repair. It had been used by several of his immediate family and some of them had downloaded significant amounts of dubious materials from dubious sources resulting in virus infection and system slowdown. I reinstalled a fresh copy of Windows XP + Ubuntu 11.04, dual booting, on the basis that both provided for his needs, namely office applications, email and internet. Ubuntu, as similar as its interface is to Windows from a basic perspective, was not to his taste, so I had to change the default boot order of Grub.