KidsGoGoGo 12.6

KidsGoGoGo 12.6 is a parental control and Internet filtering program that can block Web access as well as allow you to set time restrictions on Web browsers and applications. For $30, KidsGoGoGo has a few features that complement Mac OS X 10.5's Parental Controls. The problem is that you can't help but feel uneasy using KidsGoGoGo because of its outdated interface, odd feature execution, and a general feeling of inattentiveness from the developer.

It all starts with Maki's Web site. At this writing, the KidsGoGoGo Web page says that 12.6 is the latest version of the software, but in the left navigation pane, the release notes for what's new in the software address only version 11. Then there's the general tone of the site; it reads like it was written using a Web-based translation program--perhaps the same one the program uses to translate kids' sites.

After you download and launch the software, you'll feel like you slipped though a wormhole and traveled back in time. To say that KidsGoGoGo's interface looks dated is an understatement; the interface is reminiscent of pre-OS X software. The main window has icons that look decorative, and if you place your cursor over them, there's no highlight, rollover, or animation. Only when you click the icons can you access KidsGoGoGo's main features.

To top it off, KidsGoGoGo isn't a completely universal application. The app itself is actually a front end to multiple individual software components installed on your Mac. This front end is PowerPC native, which means that it runs using Rosetta on Intel Macs. However, according to Apple's Activity Monitor, the components that comprise the app are Universal applications. Also, when I opened Activity Monitor, I recognized nine different KidsGoGoGo components running on my 2.33GHz Core 2 Duo MacBook Pro. That seems like a lot of components, though I didn't notice any slowdown in my Mac's performance. Still, it seems odd for the front end of the app to be PowerPC only. Repeated requests to the developer for additional information and technical support were unavailing.

Filter features

Go below the interface and you'll find very few features that complement Mac OS X 10.5's Parental Controls. With filtering enabled, your two options are Stop Harmful Sites or Kids Sites Only. Maki Enterprise provides a database of adult Web sites to block, but there's no way of knowing how often the database is updated, when it was last updated, or what's on the list. Like Parental Controls, KidsGoGoGo lets you add sites that you want blocked, and you can also restrict browser access during a specified time period. One feature that KidsGoGoGo has that Parental Controls doesn't is the ability to block sites based on their geographical top-level domain.

The Web filters worked without a hitch in Safari, but for recent versions of Firefox, you have to go into Firefox's network settings and configure proxy settings, which are provided by Maki Enterprise. It's not a difficult task to perform, but other content filtering tools, like ContentBarrier X4 () don't require you to do this.

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