No comments about GhostSurf 2005 Platinum.

5 comments about LookSmart Net Nanny 5.0 Parental Control Software.

1. This software does not protect against online videos- absolutely anything could come up that's in video format. That, to me, is a major flaw.



2. Good concept but appalling implementation. I installed the 14 day trial version and then bought a licence to test it further. Unfortunately the issued licence did not match the installed software. Tried to install the licenced software - can't; trialware is already installed. Tried to remove the trialware - can't; needs a password that I didn't set. Can't get a new password by email because the automated system won't recognise the address I used to register with. Emails to customer support go unanswered. I'm left with an expired trialware that can't be uninstalled and a licence that I can't use. A complete waste of time and money.



3. From the minute - no second - I installed this program my computer quit working properly. My Broadband behaved like 56k dialup. Even after uninstalling I still am having issues. I was a paying customer who wrote several emails to support and didn't get one response. This is a waste of money. I came across a free software that so far works great. Before you spend a dime try K-9. Stay clear of net nanny



4. It might protect a 5 year old but after that, there are work arounds that are just too easy. crtl-alt-del buttons expose the software to deactivation. Or if you go to google, it does not prevent you from going to the picture or video sections. There must be better software solutions out there



5. I have been using NetNanny on 2 computers for over 6 months. I like the filtering and time restrictions, but thats where the pros end. The internet time usage feature does not work and customer support have not been able to offer any help. When I enable this feature the internet is totally blocked upon logging in. Also this program is an all or nothing program, meaning it completely blocks all internet use at the times you plug in, which maybe useful for a family with young children less than 8. Myself I prefer a program that will allow access to the inetrnet for specific programs that I allow for homework etc and then restricted all others. This is not possible with NetNanny at this time. This coupled with the non functioning options within the program and annual subscription rates prompted me to rate it at 2 stars. There are better options available

5 comments about Net Nanny.

1. I have tried and tried to get this product to operate correctly. No matter the setting I choose, it is either too strict or too permissive. I've tried using both a self created list and the one provided by Net Nanny. I cannot get either to work right. I am very frustrated by it and have been forced to uninstall it three times in order to access my homepage (ESPN.com). If you have more patience, maybe your result will be different, but I cannot recommend this product.



2. I'm very sad that this did not work. I heard a lot of hype about it and wasted my money. I did a simple search on google of word 'sex' , it returned me saveral pages and 3 links of sponsors, all porn sites. Needles to say I was able to browse their sponsors. I even updated the NN database, but same thing happen.

   Other problem is that it is dragging the whole system down, I have cable ISP, it feels like I'm running modem connection. I did not like user name/password either. For big family that might be good, but for me I want it to work quitly in the back ground.




3. I purchased Net Nanny from my local Staples Store; I installed it and discovered that it is totally useless. I t would immediately block out any page that I had set as my home page.

   The problems continued when I set the user settings. Being a parent of a pre-teen I wanted to control what my child was accessing but as an adult I didn't need to be protected from myself. The program would block me from accessing sites, even though my user profile was set to not block anything.

   Signing in under my child's name I was able to see nude pictures within seconds. But then it started shutting down my browser for violations, even on sites like Yahoo.com, despite the fact that I had the program set not to shut down the browser upon a violation, just to block and warn.

   The last straw came when the program started calling up my dial-up networking connection when I was working on non-net related programs, such as MS Word. Over and over the connect box would come up. I tried contacting customer support; their suggestions were juvenile and did not solve any, or even address several of the problems.

   The box clearly states "Customer Satisfaction Guaranteed", I have not found this to be true. Staples return policy would not allow them to return my money, just replace with the same item, which I did and tried with the same results.

   Net Nanny has ignored my repeated request for a refund by not replying to any of my e-mail requests sent to any of the address on their web site.

   I'm now using CyberPatrol, which seems to work as promised, as for Net Nanny, my advice is to steer clear and try Cyber Sitter or CyberPatrol.




4. Be warned: this product does not work with current versions of Netscape; the Company claims to have a fix, but aren't advertising it and won't send the patch out unless you go through a 20 or so step set of instructions involving your "FTP client" in the DOS function of your computer to get a download. Not what I was hoping to do. In any case, on principle I wouldn't buy from this type of company.

   Although my software promised 30 days of free telephone technical support, they discontinued that without telling anyone in May.

   On IE, the software works ok, although it's clunky. I haven't decided whether even to continue to use it if I could get them to send me the patch. But again, there's got to be a better company and a better way.




5. Scheduling function not exactly foolproof.

   I've experienced a variety of small issues using Net Nanny thus far (inability to use Norton Antivirus auto-updates, Win98 auto-updates, Outlook express issues, etc.) but I have to say the worst is the scheduling function.

   We purchased NetNanny in part because of it's claimed ability to regulate access times to the internet via a scheduling function. This function allows you to set a schedule of time specific users can have access to the internet. The function works great. However we quickly noticed that simply changing the PC's time (via the clock on the taskbar) will bypass this feature. This renders this feature useless. I don't know of a child over the age of 8 that doesn't know how to change the PC's time.

5 comments about Adobe Creative Suite CS3 Web Premium Upgrade [Mac] [OLD VERSION].

1. I didn't exactly buy the product....I had to return it because I made the mistake of purchasing the wrong software. I meant to get the Design Premium not the Adobe Web Premium. Anyhow I was pleased with the service I got from J&R. They were easy to talk to and made the return simple and easy.



2. i waited almost a year for an intel-native mac build of creative suite. declined the upgrade to cs2 as rosetta is only a barely passable solution. previously complained about cs1 - feature set was good, stability wasn't. this release has a number of nice new features & its stability has been good. there are still a number of unwanted bits & pieces, fireworks being one, the adobe stock photos being the most annoying (how do you stop its incessant upgrades if you haven't installed it in the first place?) but photoshop, dreamweaver, illustrator, & flash are all brilliant. i run the first two all the time, the latter two now&then. recommended for all web developers. a good effort from adobe (too bad about the naughty phone-home problem). still find bridge, contribute, device central, & other items of dubious value, however.



3. CS 3 does not disappoint! With the special new features in all programs, the products have become even more seamless.



4. This is a great upgrade and the creative suite applications keep getting better and faster.



5. The Adobe suite is still the only option out there for serious Mac developers. However, the price and heavy handed approach to registration is overwhelming. I now can't use my version because the computer it was registered on was upgraded to Leopard and Adobe thinks all registrations are used. Requires an internet connection to even launch. It may run in demo mode for 30 days without an internet connection after registration, don't know for sure. I don't like being treated like a crook after spending thousands of dollars and being a loyal customer for a decade.
   
   Also the updater seems to run every other use since so many products are in the suite. Granted, I only need it about every two weeks. Arg.... another Microsoft!

5 comments about Norton Internet Security 2007 [Old Version].

1. This is based on my experience with Norton Internet Security 2002.
   
   (1) Technical support may as well be nonexistent. Technical and customer support representatives repeatedly refused to reply to E-mails asking for help with a problem that a Live Update created. Their managers refused to answer faxes. The problem was finally fixed several weeks later by another Live Update.
   
   (2) I was unable to buy virus definition updates after 2006. Symantec told me I'd have to buy a new edition of their software to get the updates, so I subscribed to Frisk F-prot instead. (Same price for annual virus subscriptions, and it has given me good service for 1.5 years.)
   
   (3) I cannot uninstall the Symantec antivirus scanner from my computer. If I disable the Registry keys, it jams Word for Windows and everything else that calls for virus scans.
   
   (4) Five years ago, I was an advocate for Symantec products. Now I consider it an obligation to warn other customers off.
   
   My experience with Symantec is that its software is of very poor quality, and that the company has nothing but contempt for its customers.



2. I have been using Norton software for more than 10 years and I had no problem until I bought this product which is sold as 1 Year protection for up to 3 PC. After I installed on the first PC I tried to install on the second PC. Unfortunately it did not work at all and disabled all the programs I had on this PC. I had a very hard time to Uninstall it. Then I contacted Symantec technical support from the first computer and the advice I got was usless. I reinstalled the program on the second computer and this time I got the message that my subscription is expired ( I activated the product OCt. 01, 07), and the antivirus and web protection could not be turn on - so no wirus protection. (My computers OS - Win Xp Pro.) I would not try to install on the laptop after what I experienced with installation on the second PC.
   DO NOT BUY THIS PRODUCT if you do not wont to get a severe headache.
   I will stay away from Symantec product from now on.



3. I went with a 2 year subscription because they forced me to upgrade (no updates to old version) and because I didn't want to deal with it yearly. Mistake.
   
   It is a memory hog. After running a virus scan, you better reboot because otherwise your other programs will be extremely slow. I dealt with that by only virus scanning monthly.
   
   I finally got so frustrated, though, with an error constantly saying my virus protection was not on. The Fix Now button forced a LiveUpdate which completes but never fixes the problem. Even uninstalling everything and reinstalling (twice) did nothing to help it. And with that virus protection failing, my Outlook program wouldn't let in new email and Internet Explorer would fail (but Mozilla Firefox worked fine).
   
   I am off to try McAfee which works fine on my work laptop. I am glad I no longer own any SYMC stock...



4. I bought this product brand new from Amazon, and at first I did not think there was a problem after installing. We live in a rural area, and sometimes service is slow - even with high speed. Then I thought my memory was full, and deleted a lot of temporary files etc as suggested. Still super slow, and getting slower all the time. A lot of times the mouse would not respond to the touch pad (Dell Inspiron 6000 - one year old) and could not even work off line with out super lag times. Computer had to be shut down every day or it would be almost impossible to get any response, and even if it was shut down correctly and started again, the response time was so very, very, very slow.....very frustrating to try and get work done. And finally, I decided to delete this program......and today - WOW!!! - my computer is back to it's old lickety split reaction times and I am able to get my work done in a timely manner. I wish I had listened to the reviews, and had not purchased this product. I will not reinstall, and will be VERY leery of any NIS products in the future. And I learned something.....the reviews really do help, so I will pay a lot closer attention to them in the future. I would have given this product a minus 2 star rating, but I could not figure out how to do that. :) Thanks for offering reviews Amazon!



5. I have been using Norton Antivirus forever and am reluctant to move on although I've read reviews of other products that put Norton in the middle of the pack.

1 comments about Adobe Creative Suite CS3 Master Collection Upgrade [OLD VERSION].

1. The Adobe Creative Suite CS3 Master Collection is a significant package upgrade for anyone upgrading from a previous version of the Adobe Creative Suite. I personally upgraded from Adobe CS2 Standard and Macromedia Studio 8, and both sets of programs (Adobe's and Macromedia's) have been significantly updated in this upgrade. Most of the new features you can find out about elsewhere, so I'll focus this review on two intangibles: installation and Adobe customer service.
   
   First, installation is nearly entirely automated. CS3 detected my previous software (which was already on the system) and didn't need to ask for any of the licensing information for those products. However, it does NOT automatically uninstall former editions of the software.
   
   The CS3 installer also automatically detects your system specifications and will not install any software which will not run on your system. It also provides the reason(s) why this is the case.
   
   Perhaps the worst part about the installation is the length of time it takes. Between each step in the beginning process (system specification detection, program selection, etc.) the installer will pause, sometimes for a significant amount of time (likely dependent upon system resources). This appears to be normal, and given enough time the installer continues. The actual install process takes a long time (I didn't install all of the products, and still took more than an hour). It also requires that you manually feed the DVDs in sequence (there are about four or five; the length of time the discs stay in the drive probably vary dependent upon the products you install--this does not include additional content, like templates).
   
   One other thing to keep in mind is that Adobe seems to be having some struggles with their internal systems. I originally attempted to purchase the product from Adobe itself, and it took weeks for them to complete my order (I canceled it after two-three weeks and it hadn't shipped). Adobe Customer Service is generally good, but they occasionally give different answers depending on if one is dealing with online support or telephone support. I rarely have had a technical problem with CS2 or CS3, so I don't know how they are at resolving technical issues on a more frequent basis. If you purchase from Amazon you'll escape most of the problems I've had with Adobe itself.
   
   Conclusion:
   Excellent software and excellent upgrade even from the most recent version of the products. Just be sure to budget enough time to install the products you need. And make sure to purchase from Amazon instead of Adobe directly--you'll avoid a whole lot of headache.

5 comments about OvoLab Phlink Phone Information System (Mac).

1. So I've been tinkering with this for a few hours now, and I have to say I was disappointed by how much of the cool functionality appears to be dependent on the user's knowledge of AppleScript. I'm a fairly technical person, but I don't have a lot of confidence when it comes to tweaking or merging applescripts. This is way over my head, and I've been using a Mac since 1984.



2. I've been using a Mac for my voicemail since my Performa 6320, and Phlink is the best Mac voicemail product ever. I have it running on an old 600MHz iBook and it works great. The basic functionality (like sending yourself emails of the recordings) is simple to set up, and for advanced users the AppleScript ability is awesome. By using a simple folder hierarchy, you can create unlimited mailboxes and voice trees for companies. The documentation is good and easy to understand.
   
   Some third-party products -- like Indigo home automation software -- are already set up to tie in to Phlink and come with ready-made AppleScripts that you just need to drop in the appropriate folder.
   
   The one time I had a problem (a fried telephone adapter, which which was my own fault) Ovolab's tech support was prompt, helpful, and friendly.
   
   What I love about this product:
   
   * Getting emails at work of voicemails left at home
   * Having custom outgoing messages based upon caller ID info (great for annoying telemarketers!)
   * Getting pop-up alerts on other Macs on my network telling me who's calling
   * Integrating with Indigo so I can call home and turn lights on and off



3. I downloaded the software to see how set up was and found that, while it is powerful software, it is a nightmare to set up. I don't want to learn programming (applescript) in order to have a business phone system. I want to buy a car, not a kit car with assembly (and some fabrication!) required! If you want to make a career out of setting up a voicemail system this software/hardware this appears to be the product for you! I have ordered a competing product, Phonevalet, and plan to write a review on that product. (they do not offer a download to take a look at the software but they do offer a 30 day moneyback guarantee) I hope this helps you.



4. All this product really does straight out of the box is answer calls, take messages and emails them somewhere. everything else is done by using scripts and you putting together files and folders in a very specific way to the program to understand what you want it to do. now, if you are a apple script programmer this gizmo might be very powerful as you can make it to almost anything, but if you just expect it to come with a nice interface to do this, look elsewhere (phonevalet). i tried the included voice mailbox setup program several times and could not get it to jump to the appropriae mailbox, nor would it recognize the pin code and jump to the main menu. this is such basic functionality that the fact i could not get this to work in half a day (and i am a it guy) made me return it.



5. This product is useless. There are problems with the software that prevent it from working with a MacPro and possibly other machines. The product answers calls for a few hours or days and then locks up and stops working. At times it even grabs your phone line and keeps it busy for hours. The company maintains no staff of technical support people to help. It took me three weeks to get an acknowledgment of the problem from the company and then for 3 more weeks no one has gotten back to me after repeated attempts. I still have not gotten a refund and the product is completely useless. AVOID!

1 comments about Adobe Fireworks CS3 Upgrade [OLD VERSION].

1. Originally, I purchased the Design Premium Suite which does not have FireWorks in it. Then, I decided to switch my web site over to Joomla. I purchased a template from RocketTheme. They use FireWorks in their video tutorials. I learned many of the features of the program including the native PNG files it creates. FireWorks PNGs are fully editable which is not so with PhotoShop, etc. Therefore, I purchased it and use it as my web graphic editor for Joomla. It was a nice upgrade for around $150. If you used ImageReady regularly, you will like FireWorks CS3.

No comments about McAfee Internet Security Suite 2007.

No comments about Adobe Creative Suite 3.3 Design Premium Upsell [Mac] [OLD VERSION].