[Zeeb]

I searched the forums and was unable to find my answer. At any rate, I would like an application that blocks specific websites from being accessed. I would type the url into a window, set a password and it would be blocked unless I release it.

I have safari and firefox on my computer and ideally this application would cover both browsers--but maybe I need a separate application for each.

Any direction would be appreciated. Freeware would be the best, but I'd be willing to pay.

All I need are a few specific sites blocked, which are the best? Thanks.

[rickey939]

You could create a "Managed" OS X user account within System Preferences and from there you can configure what sites Safari can access....of course, all for free. This won't work for FF, but it's a thought nonetheless.

[Zeeb]

That's a good idea, however the person I want to block is me. My vision was to have my friend set the password to block me from accessing these chat sites I spend waaaay too much time on. I guess I could create a managed user account, but I don't like the idea of surrendering too much control over my own computer to someone else.

[slugslugslug]

Do you use a router? You should be able to configure it to block specific sites (the details will depend on the router, but are probably available in the documentation).

[Zeeb]

That's a good idea too. I share my wireless with my roommates, would I be able to block specific sites on a specific computer however?

[rickey939]

Originally Posted by Zeeb 

That's a good idea, however the person I want to block is me. My vision was to have my friend set the password to block me from accessing these chat sites I spend waaaay too much time on. I guess I could create a managed user account, but I don't like the idea of surrendering too much control over my own computer to someone else.

You wouldn't need to creata new "Managed" account...you would just need to turn your current account into a "Managed" account, with the only limiation set by your roomate to be the Safari site access.

[slugslugslug]

Originally Posted by Zeeb 

That's a good idea too. I share my wireless with my roommates, would I be able to block specific sites on a specific computer however?

It looks like it's possible on my LinkSys WRT54G, though mine has a 3rd-party firmware, so I'm not sure if that feature came from LinkSys or SveaSoft. But it's at least do-able on some routers. A bit of Googling could probably turn up whether your router is capable..

[besson3c]

You could also do this at the firewall level...

[Curiosity]

I think that a connection killer block list is a great idea. I have an application for Windows that lets me set one up for any browser that is connecting to the internet through it. A local web proxy is more like what I thought Zeeb was talking about. The idea is that you could just compose a list of host names (with wildcards) that you never want your browser to contact, even if commanded by code on a web page to do so. For example, I do not trust Doubleclick, Lop, Gohip, or Cool Web Search, so I would like to ensure that my browser has no contact with them. Adblock for Firefox does something of the sort, but it could be better, and it would be nice if the blocks could apply to any browser.

[Don Pickett]

Just figure out how to use your /etc/hosts file. I use mine to block ads from loading.

[besson3c]

Originally Posted by Don Pickett 

Just figure out how to use your /etc/hosts file. I use mine to block ads from loading.

This is also a good idea... Although OS X does not include hosts.allow and hosts.deny files, I would bet that if you created them they would be honored.

[Don Pickett]

Originally Posted by besson3c 

This is also a good idea... Although OS X does not include hosts.allow and hosts.deny files, I would bet that if you created them they would be honored.

Hmm. Don't know why you'd want both. My hosts file is used to block a lot of ads.