parental control / web filter

[Alex Dean]

I used a hosts file a while back which resolved a bunch of ad sites to 
127.0.0.1.  This kept me from having to see lots of ads, but instead I 
saw lots of 404 errors.  Is this file you suggest the same approach or 
something else?

Can one do includes in a hosts file?  So, for instance, I could break 
out the blocked sites into a bunch of smaller lists and selectively 
include the ones I wanted to block?

thanks,
alex

Siri Amrit Kaur wrote:

>On Tuesday 30 August 2005 01:23 pm Josh Coffman kindly wrote:
>  
>
>>  I don't have a machine to use to route web traffi
>>through so I would want something on each machine
>>(desktop & laptop) that is configurable per user. My
>>wife and I wouldn't need as strict of filtering.
>>
>>Can anyone make a recomendation?
>>
>>    
>>
>For something extremely quick and simple to install, I recommend a 
>hosts file. The following link has some great ones that are updated 
>frequently. It lists thousands of sites that, once in your /etc/hosts 
>file, will not be able to access your machine. These are mostly ad 
>sites (so it makes surfing really nice). It also has a number of 
>adult sites listed. The current hosts file was updated a few days ago 
>and lists over 47,000 sites.
>
>They also have a "Porn Sites" list that has even more adult sites 
>listed. It's not updated as frequently as the regular hosts file. 
>It's the basic hosts file, with porn sites from 
>http://research.internetfilter.com/research.php added to it. The porn 
>site file was last updated in January. I think it has some 60,000+ 
>sites listed.
>
>I like hosts files because they don't require any special software or 
>hardware, and they don't require any more skill than using a text 
>editor. As root, you just copy and paste the plain text file listing 
>the banned servers into /etc/hosts. If the file blocks something you 
>want, just put a # mark at the beginning of the line for that server. 
>Before putting in a hosts file, copy your original hosts file and 
>save it. Then try the new hosts file. If you find you dont' like 
>using it, you can just delete it and put your original one back in 
>place. 
>
>Once you have a hosts file in place, delete the cache from your 
>browsers and you won't get any more banner ads. Nice!
>
>I've used a hosts file for years, ever since a houseguest once used my 
>computer (in the guestroom) for porn. HTH- Siri Amrit
>
>Get hosts files:
>http://remember.mine.nu/
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