Re: TECH: Macintosh security

[Ann H Pfaff <pfaff+@PITT.EDU>]

On Sat, 7 Sep 1996, Shayne Russell wrote:

> All of the programs we have on the Macintosh computers in the media center
> can be accessed from the apple menu, and I keep telling kids that that is
> how they should open them.  I don't want kids getting into the hard drive
> and messing around with things.  This summer we installed Foolproof, which I
> thought would solve the problem.  Now they can't throw anything out, or
> change anything, but they can still get into the hard drive and open things
> they have no business getting into.  Is there any kind of software that
> would lock up the hard drive so it couldn't be opened, so that applications
> would *have* to be opened from the apple menu only?  I'm not that
> knowledgable about Macintoshes, so sometimes it takes me a long time to
> figure out how to undo some of the things they've done.
>
> Shayne Russell
> Mt. Laurel Hartford School
> New Jersey
> srussell@voicenet.com
>
I use At Ease on the Mac 575s and Power Macs in our elementary school. I
do not have a problem with children getting into the chooser. That is
controlled with At Ease Setup. When setting up, on one of the last screens
you choose which level of accessability you will allow for students. I am
not certain of the wording, because I don't use a Mac at home, but you
check a box for either limited or unlimited access for this user. This is
where you cut them out from all the items under the little apple icon on
the far left of the top of the screen. I do this on the old version of At
Ease. At Ease is available from Apple, and it is very reasonable, about
$30 as I remember.  Ann Pfaff