Monday, October 19, 2009

Firefox Paretal Control Add-On

ProCon filters web page content by using a list of inappropriate words and replacing them with asterisks (***). Note that the bad word filter does not block websites containing the words; you must add the website to a Blacklist. ProCon can also block all traffic, making sure that only desired websites (set in the Whitelist) can be accessed. You can manage "white" and "black" lists of sites and pages. ProCon also has password protection in order to keep others from changing the settings. Support and additional documentation for this add-on is provided by the developer at http://procon.mozdev.org/

For more third-party extensions can be downloaded and installed into your Firefox browser to help to keep your children safe on the Internet. This Addons.Mozilla.org search for parental control lists several other extensions that may be suitable for your needs.

The ParentalControl Bar Internet Filter

Help control what your family views online
ParentalControl Bar is a simple, powerful tool to help shield your children from explicit websites. Simply activate Child-Mode while your children surf the internet, and the toolbar will block access to adult-oriented websites.

A free public service
ParentalControl Bar is provided free of charge to the public by WRAAC.org, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing free, effective internet control tools.

Download : http://www.parentalcontrolbar.org/

Saturday, October 10, 2009

Comodo Internet Security

Comodo Internet Security, Comodo's award-winning free security suite, offers prevention-based, Default Deny Protection (DDP) technology to prevent malware in your PC. Conventional security suites ignore prevention, focusing only on the eventual detection of viruses. Basically, this means that it will allow all applications to access your PC resources by default as long as the application is not on your security software's blacklist of already known malware. Comodo Internet Security includes an extensive white-list of safe executables called the 'Comodo Safe-List Database'. This database checks the integrity of every file and application asking for access to your PC. Comodo Internet Security will alert you of potentially damaging applications before they are installed. This is a ground-breaking method of protecting your PC. Traditionally firewalls only detect harmful applications from a blacklist of known malware - often-missing new forms of malware that are being created and launched daily. Comodo Internet Security is continually updated and currently almost 3,000,000 applications are in Comodo Safe list, representing virtually one of the largest safe lists within the security industry. Put simply, the good stuff gets in, and the bad stuff gets nowhere near your PC's insides. Our latest version includes both DNS protection, to make sure the URLs you visit are safe, and the option oh installing the HopSurf toolbar, a new and innovative way to surf the Web. Comodo Internet Security is now available in 15 different languages, and comes included with a free 30 day trial of LivePCSupport. Best of all, it's free for life.
Comodo has merged its antivirus program with Firewall Pro, creating a free security program that aims to be more to more people. Although this may frustrate some users who want only one program or the other, the installer does let you opt out of either of the components. Users are also asked to install the Comodo SafeSearch and Ask.com toolbars, so be careful if you tend to install on autopilot. CIS requires a reboot.
Resource management is better than before, with hogging all but eliminated. It provides a smorgasbord of information and options for advanced users, but it's simple enough for beginners, and runs smoothly and silently in the background. The version 3 interface utilizes a plain white color scheme and replaces old terminology with more intuitive terms such as Summary, Firewall, Defense, and Miscellaneous. In each, there are links to relevant security issues so users can drill down to learn more about how the firewall is performing. The firewall rears its head most often when Security Alerts ask about new Internet connections as the program "learns" your computer's behavior.
Shield-shaped buttons at the top facilitate switching between the antivirus and firewall modules, as well as a summary tab that provides a general overview. Users can toggle automatic scans of archives or downloads, scans on start-up, manage the quarantine, and schedule scans and definition file updates through a clean and comprehensible list of links. The definition file update crashed during its first use, but was stable thereafter. Scans completed at a reasonable speed, but were not blazingly fast.

Avast Home Edition

Avast Home Edition - Free Antivirus is a complete ICSA & Checkmark certified antivirus, Checkmark certified anti-spyware & anti-rootkit package. Avast includes the following components: On demand scanner with skinnable simple interface, just select what do you want to scan in which way and press the Play button; On access scanner, special providers to protect the most of available e-mail clients; Instant messaging--ICQ, Miranda; Network traffic--intrusion detection, lightweight firewall; P2P protection for Kazaa, BitTorrent; Web shield--monitors and filters all HTTP traffic; NNTP scanner--scans all Usenet Newsgroup traffic and all operations with files on PC; Boot time scanner--scans disks in the same way and in the same time as Windows CHKDSK does.
Avast Home Edition guards your PC and the network with multiple shields that scan executables and files. You can select parameters for scanning, and even choose wildcards to exclude specific file types. You can adjust the sensitivity level for the program's detectors when it comes to scanning downloaded files, instant messages, e-mails, and a host of P2Ps. Its efficient interface opens up window after window to tweak its settings to your liking, for novice to advanced level protection.
Though it took quite some time to run, we're impressed with this application's boot-time antivirus scan. Fortunately, if you're in a pinch you can bypass it. If malicious contents are detected, Avast comes to the rescue with handy virus cleanup tools. Some decent PC controls are even handed out here. You can block certain URLs and file operations, such as writing to files or even renaming, deleting or formatting them.
With immediate real-time protection, clockwork updates, and much more, this free software is highly regarded in our book.

ManyCam Virtual Webcam

Manycam allows you to use your Webcam with multiple programs at the same time. Broadcast your Webcam video simultaneously on MSN Messenger, Yahoo, Skype, AIM, PalTalk, and CamFrog. Manycam also lets you to add cool live computer generated special effects and graphics to your video. Make it appear as if your face or hand is on fire with our "fire" effect. Pretend you are underwater, or make it look as if it's snowing inside your house. Add text, graphics, or your country's flag to your video window.
ManyCam is the freeware tool for you if you use both CamFrog and ICQ, or any other video chat program, and you want to use them simultaneously. It creates a "virtual" Webcam that replicates your currently installed camera. It then lets multiple applications access the video stream without conflict.
ManyCam is compatible with Yahoo, MSN, CamFrog, PalTalk, ICQ, Skype, YouTube, and more. Once you've installed ManyCam, you need to set ManyCam as the primary input for program that you want to use. ManyCam will automatically start when activate your Webcam through that program. The application includes a bunch of gimmicky features that let you change aspects of the background and foreground. You can map a new pair of cartoon eyes over your face, and they track pretty well to your movements, or you can show that your life is hell by replacing the background with flames.


AVG Free Edition

AVG Free Edition is the well-known antivirus protection tool. AVG Free is available free of charge to home users for the life of the product. Rapid virus database updates are available for the lifetime of the product, thereby providing the high level of detection capability that millions of users around the world trust to protect their computers. AVG Free is easy to use and will not slow your system down (low system resource requirements. Highlights include automatic update functionality, the AVG Resident Shield, which provides real-time protection as files are opened and programs are run, free Virus Database Updates for the lifetime of the product, and AVG Virus Vault for safe handling of infected files.
This antivirus program offers rock-solid protection. AVG Free provides the bare necessities, including a real-time shield to prevent infections, anti-virus and anti-malware wrapped up in one engine, and a link scanner for Web surfing with care.
By default, the application is set to search for new virus definitions daily, but you always can use the scheduling tool to change this. Should a virus create serious system problems, AVG creates a rescue disk to scan your computer in MS-DOS mode. The program doesn't tax your system when scanning or when running in the background and always proved effective in our tests. The new interface is much easier to navigate than in previous version, with tabbed navigation on the left assisting users in drilling down to the tools they need.

Camfrog Video Chat

If you looking for the perfect mix of video, audio, and text socializing, CamFrog might be what you're looking for.
The chat rooms feature everything from music lessons to sign language to non-English chatting, and integrating video, audio, and text components are a great leap forward for chat communities since a Webcam is not a requirement. Be warned, though: There's also a slew of X-rated chat rooms--this is not a program that kids should use without supervision.
The interface should be familiar to anyone who has used any messaging software. You can create your own chat room and password-protect it, and the Contacts list has a section for favorite rooms and one-click contact adding, user searching, and profile management. New in Version 5 is high-resolution video support, interface tweaks, and the ability to send little "virtual gifts" to both friends and anonymous recipients that borders on the annoying.

Camfrog Video Chat allows you to join real streaming video chat rooms where you can hear, see, and chat with many people at a time. Instant message a user to get to know them before you Webcam chat, and add them to your contact list. This videoconferencing software also works behind most firewalls and routers. Camfrog Video Chat allows multi-user videoconferencing where you can join a room with up to 1000 users and just click a user name to begin seeing someone. Press the 'talk' button to talk to the entire room with audio. The video chat rooms are hosted by broadband users who are running the Camfrog Video Chat Room Server software so any user can set up their own multi-user video conference for other users to join. No Webcam is required to see people, but some rooms might not allow users without Webcams. Camfrog Video Chat is optimized for broadband users so it has fast video.