Parental GuidanceThere are a number of content filtering applications which are designed to protect young children from obnoxious content on the internet. In general, each application will require some configuration and editing list of potentially harmful sites, or restrictions on e-mail or newsgroup addresses. This burden rests with the parent who must keep a wary eye on their child's internet activities. Vigilance rather than complete reliance on the effectiveness of filters is key to the success of this type of software. At the same time, the filters should be easy to install and configure, start up automatically when a dial up session is activated, lock out undesirable content and log the history of each site visited without unduly impairing the performance of your browser. You should be able to add to the restriction list but view whatever you want whenever you (the parent) are online. New objectionable material is being published everyday so the filter should start to work right away and learn as it goes along. No one vendor has been able to fit this bill.
Web Chaperone, from rule space, is one of the more intelligent approaches to parental guidance software. Using iCRT (intelligent content recognition technology), Chaperone will automatically search for objectionable phrases or addresses, block harmful material and suggest alternate locations for friendlier content. There are four levels of protection and the program will implement the highest level for the default user. Each user of your PC can be assigned a nickname and password which will be associated with a unique protection profile. After just two steps Web Chaperone can be up and running. First, create an administrative password and profiles for each family member, then register your Web Chaperone online with Rulespace. If you have been online and got called away, rest assured that Web Chaperone will automatically close your browser window after a period of inactivity and clear your browser's cache, but it will log the trail of sites visited by your child. You can then use this log as a basis for any further restrictions you might want to add. Beware of too many phrase restrictions which will unduly affect browsing performance. Chaperone works well with both Internet Explorer and Netscape.
Product: Web Chaperone V1.42 Build 117
Operating System: Windows95/98
File Name: webchaperoneinstaller.exe Size:1,724,285 bytes
Status: free download
Source: Webchaperone home page
Installation Suggestions:
1. Click on the title "Web Chaperone" above to acquire the source file. Your browser will ask you to save to disk. Hit Ok and point the target to a specific location on you hard disk such as C:\DOWNLOADS or C:\MYDOCUMENTS or on the desktop area "my briefcase". Note the location if you choose an alternate. Hit OK to commence the download which should take a few minutes. Your browser will announce when the acquisition is complete.
2. Disconnect your internet session. Click on "my computer" and open the "c" drive. Now click on the folder in which you download is stored, in this case, let's say "downloads". Now double click on the installer file "webchaperoneinstaller.exe". This will initiate the installation process. You will be asked some questions, simply click 'next' or 'ok' to continue.
3. You will be asked to create an administrative password. This can be a combination of numbers and characters.You should write this down and store it. At this point, you may also choose to create profile for each child. You should use completely different passwords in each case. After this, the installer will restart you machine.
4. The final step is to register your webchaperone. You will need to go online and complete a form which will be forwarded to webchaperone. Now you're done.
Enuff , from Akrontech is a tiny access control utility for Windows 95/98 with very powerful features. Enuff allows you to set duration and time periods when specific users will be allowed access to computer and the internet, and generates an activity log. It will not filter content but it will effectively control how long you child spends online. The program will allow you to create multiple users, reports how much time is spent online and "shut out" any user at the end of their session.
Product: Enuff V52-M52
Operating System: Windows 95/98
File name: endemo.exe Size: 712 Kbytes
Status: 30 day evaluation
Source: Akrontech Home Page
Go Snap.com's Guide to parents
Go BBC Education: parental tips and hints
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