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PCLOS
Kidsafe 0.21-beta - A nice, fast download, burned
onto CD and I'm off. One of the first options I saw was whether to
boot to the Live CD or into installation mode. I chose the latter as
I was already familiar with PCLOS and was confident the hardware
would be fine. I logged in as root because I wanted to install, but
noticed that there were additional options to log in as "guest"
or "kidsafe, also."

The familiar KDE desktop came up with
the standard PCLOS icons along the top and a pleasant looking wheat
field with a stormy sky for the wallpaper. I'll spare you the
details, except to say I installed PCLOS Kidsafe in around 35
minutes, selected to delete the guest account and immediately
rebooted.

I then decided to logon using the
predefined "kidsafe" account instead of root. Things looked
very different! Firefox opened immediately after I logged in and
showed a page listing many educational and entertainment websites for
kids with links to each. There were also pages giving a brief
overview of this release, how to install and remaster it and contact
details for the author. Very nice.

First things first, seeing as Firefox
was already on screen, I searched Google for the website address of
Astalavista (hacking, cracking, exploits etc.) and "Page
Blocked" was displayed. OK, on to Google images and typed a few
indecent words! Again, "Page Blocked". In fact, I tried a
few different things and failed to get through to any malicious
website or anything porn related. I realize this is not exactly the
scientific way of doing things, but with the limited time I had to
test the distro, it showed a level of safety I can be comfortable
with. Ad and popup blocking were not installed. Whether this would be
a problem considering the presence of the filtering software remains
to be seen, but I'd be more comfortable with some Firefox extensions
preinstalled. I doubt it would be impossible to defeat the filtering
software (DansGuardian) with perseverance, but it does give the
parent some peace of mind to know that reasonable measures are
already in place to help keep their child safe online. Very
impressive.

Next, I checked the installed software
and menu items available. I imagine it's hard to judge what to choose
in a remaster like this, as the selection of software you'd install
for toddlers will be vastly different from what is appropriate for
school age children. From what I've seen, software applications for
preschool children in Linux are fairly limited. The selection
provided was fine, with text editors rather than a full word
processor, a couple of applications and games specifically for
preschool children, and various science and school curriculum type
applications for the older ones. There were also lots of typical
Linux games to keep them busy. A couple of things I'd like to see
added to a future releases are media/mp3 players.

Conspicuous by their absence are all
the other standard menu items you'd normally see. Other than those
menu selections mentioned, about the only thing you can do with
PCLinuxOS kidsafe, configuration-wise, is alter the desktop settings.
For that, I was grateful. I was able to gain access to the shell via
CTRL, ALT, F1, etc. I don't know whether it is possible or even wise
to lock users out of the shell completely in the event of a crashed
application though, so no complaints on that point. A key combination
like this is unlikely to be pressed by accident and the shell won't
allow the child to cause too much havoc without the root password
anyway.

I expected Linux running KDE to be
quite slow on this old PC, but it runs very well. Everything was
responsive and programs opened quickly. One or two titles were slow
to render on screen but only because of the on board graphics and low
speed of the PC components.

• SimplyMEPIS-32 Big DVD - Package List
• SimplyMEPIS-64 Big DVD - Package List

• What's New in 6.5
• 6.5 FAQ

Howtos





1. Quick TipsTwo tips for speeding up you linux install

• Linux Command LinePower Users love the freedom of the command line. Here's how you can get started taking complete control of your PCLinuxOS system.


• Tips for a Cooler LaptopCool is good!


• Lynx How ToFor the command-line user in all of us


• Keyboard ShortcutsWork faster with these shortcuts

• How To Repair a Broken xorg.confDon't reinstall, fix it!


• How to make a list of installed packagesA great tip, check it out


• Beginner's Guide to LinuxSometimes we need a little help getting started


• Faster downloadsYou know you want it


• How to understand and edit etc/fstabPCLinuxOS sets up partitions correctly in most cases, but if it fails or you just want to change the default settings, exploring /etc/fstab is the first place to look


• Kopete to IRC howtoChatting about Kopete


• A word to the new and frustratedIf you've tried Linux before and have become frustrated, this one will help


• Clone UserHere's a fairly simple way to create an identical copy of a user. Ok, only the user's files and settings, not the actual user.:)


• Lessons from ChildrenLet's learn Gimp from the next generation.


• Linux TrackerDecyphering Torrents.


• PeerguardianProtecting you peer sharing privacy.


• Linux_Windows XP_ntfsHow to install PCLinuxOS with NTFS read/write enabled.


• AmarokGetting started with Amarok.


• AliasesHere's a bit a Linux mastery. You can do it, too. Come on. Give it a try.


• Backup w/ GrsyncHere's a fantastic tip for simplifying backup.


• Windows-Style Dialogs In FirefoxRid you Firefox those pesky Gnome-like dialogs.

• Restarting X WindowsAfter trying to install a graphics driver you are left at the command line with no desktop. What do you do?


• Configuring Wireless RouterHere's some help for Linksys wireless PCMCIA cards.


• Opening Files In OpenOffice With Accented CharactersCan't get these characters - á, í, ó, à - in OpenOffice? Try this.


• Adding Media PlayersSetting up mimetypes. No, not like Marcel Marceau:).


• All Those DirectoriesMake sense out the Linux filesystem.


• 3 Quick TipsHere's a sample of some of the advice you will find on the PCLinuxOS Forum.


• Speed TweakingEveryone wants their computer to go faster. Here's how.


• Firefox ExtensionsWe have ten of our favorite Firefox extensions for you to explore.


• ScroogleLast month we learn how to integrate Scroogle into Konqueror. Here's one for all of the Opera lover's out there

• Update or ReinstallThe most asked question on the PCLOS Forums - Please Read!


• Saving Flash AnimationsIf you ever wanted to do a 'file -> save page as' for a web page with flash animations and videos - Here's how.


• Saving settingsYou decided to re-install. Now you have to decide what to keep and how to do it. Don't worry, help is on the way.


• DVD RAM in PCLOSLast time Clareoldie showed us how to use DVD-RW discs as a hard drive using UDF. Now, he brings us his experience with DVD-RAM.


• ScroogleWho's Afraid of the Big, Bad Google?

• What is "Root"?Here's a forum discussion on the meaning and purpose of "root" in Linux.


• My FavoritesHow to make a custom My Favorites Menu.


• What's in a Password?How to protect your online identity.


• What NOT To Do When Bored of Testing 2007Where's the thrill?


• Simple Ways to Do ThingsUsing PCLinuxOS there are many different ways to do things. Here are some of the easy ways.

• Linux TwinViewTwo Monitors - Twice the Fun! But not if you don't know how to make it work. This article will make setting up TwinView a breeze on PCLinuxOS.


• Ripping AudioRecord audio tapes into convenient files to play on PCLinuxOS. In fact, we'll be able to record any audio signal we can lay our hands on, including broadcast radio by the time we're done.


• R-BaseR is a language and environment for statistical computing and graphics. It is is widely used for statistical software development and data analysis, and has become a de-facto standard among statisticians for the development of statistical software. This is how one user set it up to work in PCLinuxOS

• VMWare How-ToThere is not a geek anywhere that does not want to run an operating system in a virtual machine. For those ready to give it a first try, here is an excellent step-by-step explanation of all the steps necessary setup a VWWare virtual machine.

• TinyMeTinyMe is the latest PCLinuxOS effort intended to create a competitor to distributions such as Puppy and Feather Linux. It is targeted at computers that have little memory and/or a slow processor, while maintaining compatibility with the PCLinuxOS repositories.

• A Windows User's DelightAs a former Windows user, I know that it can be easy to feel overwhelmed by the volume of available distributions. Often, to help decipher the lingo and choose a capable distribution, those new to the community seek guidance from existing users. Sometimes this can lead to a really positive result, as another Windows user joins the Linux community.


• KidsafeFor many years, I've been fascinated by the idea of Linux and the Open Source community. Finally, in February of this year, I took the plunge and decided to give Linux a serious look. At every turn, I've been amazed at the progress that has been made. In fact, there's so much going on in the world of Linux these days, it's enough to make your head spin!

• Creating Web Pages - 2In the last issue of PCLinuxOS Magazine we created a very basic web page. As stated before in the tutorial, the opening tags always have a closing tag. In the page below the main code tags that make the page


• Creating Web Pages - 1A basic tutorial on creating a html web site.