MakuaMon

Parental control tools are effective at preventing your kids from over-using a computer, but when it comes to restricting certain applications, most of these programs do not have much to offer. MakuaMon can be used for more than parental control. Besides restricting users to a daily time frame, it can also monitor and block applications, force a user to take a break and more.

Installing MakuaMon can be done without too much effort. After downloading the 8.34 Mb package, you will have to go through a standard setup process. This can be done on any computer, powered by Windows XP, Vista or Win 7. Due to its low system requirements, the program will run even with .NET Framework 2.0.

When the installation process is complete, the program will launch automatically. Before accessing the interface, you will have to specify a master password, so no one will be able to change your restrictions. Restrictions can be set for individual user accounts. You can select them during the initial settings or add them to the watch list later, with the options found on the interface's toolbar.

It is also possible to add users from networked computers. The computers, users and their overall usage time are displayed in a tree menu, on the left side of the interface. Selecting one of these items will list different statistics on the main area of the window. For example, if you select a computer, you will see the daily activity for each user on that computer. If you select the user, you will find a series of statistics regarding how much time he spends on monitored applications.

Selecting a user's overall usage time, in the tree menu, will display a series of options, under separate tabs. In the limits tab, you can use sliders to set a weekly and daily time limit, as well as a session limit or break time. These can be set for both working or free days. You may specify which days of the week are free or not under the Schedule tab. Individual applications can be added to the watch list on a separate window, after clicking the Apps button on the toolbar. The window consists of three lists and all you have to do is click and drag an application's name from the first list to the second. When this is done, the application will appear in the tree menu, on the main window, under the selected user and you can restrict it the same way as the overall usage time.

MakuaMon lets you select one or more actions in case time expires. You can use a series of check boxes, under the Actions tab, to block usage when a limit is exceeded or to enforce a break between sessions. You can also select a warning action under this tab. In this way, when the time expires, the program will display a warning message, play one or more beeps or use a full screen notification. The Actions tab also contains an Action Intensity Management feature, which lets you set the severity of the warnings. It can be set to Off, Low, Medium or High with a slider. A low severity level will allow a person to use the computer for a few more minutes and a higher one will block it immediately.