Not just lemmy.world. Alexandrite will do many different instances at its main site https://alexandrite.app/

Depending on your instance I think you can set that at the account level. I was able to set my default home page and sort on Lemmy.world

By “never used to”, when are you talking about? I think the last time I saw a terminal catalog in the way you’re describing was 1995.

Pretty much every thing after that was a modified Windows install of one flavor or another with an intranet or web catalog interface for the user.

I’ll buy that they were kept longer in some.places than othern but where and when are you pointing to?

Most of them are following instructions they are getting from elsewhere to do those tasks and most instructions the offices are giving out are expecting a Windows computer. I still have a lot of users looking for the Blue E. headdesk

The vast majority of computer users at my libraries have been adults over 50. The kids in my areas use the Chrome OS Computers they are getting from the schools.

If we had a lot of under 25s coming in to use the public PCs, I agree that Chrome OS would be a good pick.

As a librarian this is an awesome idea but unlikely to work out long term for a couple of reasons relating to the libraries.

1. Patrons will absolutely freak out if the computer they sit down at doesn’t look like the Windows machine they are expecting. Even the time-keeping software we use makes people uncomfortable and it’s just a countdown clock for the 30 minutes they signed up for. I’ve had a very expensive Mac desktop for art and music software go totally unused for years because most patrons want a Windows computer to check their Hotmail. Librarian sobs

2. Unless the library 'technologist" or IT team is already really into Linux in their off time AND paid well enough to bring that experience with them to the office, the people tasked with keeping it running will fail within 6 months and revert it back to something they can fix fast. Generally there’s one IT department that’s handing the libraries and other government run service offices and they will not take the time to do anything out of the ordinary.

Maybe for a subset of computers in a large library like the stand-up quick access stations or catalog lookup computers near the books. Linux can and does a lot of good keeping these one-use stations going despite the fact the run on 1998 Dell Potatoes.