[Lias] Re: dans guardian

[Andrew Dorrell]

stephen wrote:
> it's a great program
> i've built a rpm to interface with it using mitel-SME aka e-smith
> this makes it easily configurable by teachers if you allow them 
> 
> http://www.dungog.net/sme/faq.html
> http://www.dungog.net/sme/howto/dansguardian.html
> 
> there is a gpl webmin admin tool
> but i wouldn't recommend teachers be given access to webmin
> 
> i'd like to give more advice but i'm just off for a weeks holiday


OK... I haven't reviewed for some time so I am quite interested as I am 
setting up a new server these hols:  how capable is DansGuardian at 
removing banner ads?


Personally I had thought that most of the nasty content that, especially 
K-6s are likely to come accross, is carried in banner advertisments.  As 
we are already filtered in the NSW public schools network (read the 
schools I help out) I have only been concerned with filtering of this 
content (cuts down bandwidth also :-) ).  I have been using adzap from 
Cameron Simpson (http://www.zip.com.au/~cs/adzap/) for this purpose as 
it manages to block a large number of gifs and popups, java nasties 
etc... and I know the author maintains and provides updates to the 
filter (which can be automatically downloaded).


Please note also that you can get google to perform a "safe" search 
which prevents the return of links to undesirable pages from a search. I 
usually try to provide a search entry field on the intranet homepage for 
which this option is switched on...  using something like:

     <form action="http://www.google.com/search" METHOD="GET">
       <input TYPE="text"NAME="as_q" VALUE="" SIZE="40%">
       <input TYPE=hidden name="num" value="10">
       <input TYPE=hidden name="btnG" value="Google+Search">
       <input TYPE=hidden name="as_oq" value="">
       <input TYPE=hidden name="as_epq value="">
       <input TYPE=hidden name="as_eq" value="">
       <input TYPE=hidden name="as_occt" value="any">
       <input TYPE=hidden name="lr" value="lang_en">
       <input TYPE=hidden name="as_dt" value="i">
       <input TYPE=hidden name="as_sitesearch=" value="">
       <input TYPE=hidden name="safe" value="on">
     </form>


-- 
Andrew Dorrell PhD.        Senior Research Engineer
Canon Information Systems Research Australia     Phone: 61 2 9805 2224
1 Thomas Holt Drive,  North Ryde,  NSW 2113.     Fax:   61 2 9805 2865