OS X Mountain Lion Bible

Controlling Apps Usage

In the Parental Controls system preference's Apps pane, you set the following options:

• Use Simple Finder: If this is selected, it directs the Mac to use the Simple Finder, a stripped-down Finder version suited for smaller children. Figure 26.2 shows an example of the Simple Finder. Instead of showing users disks and folders, it simply provides three folders in the Dock—Applications, Documents, and Shared—from which users access applications and files. When opened, these folders have a simple, standard display, with none of the options that Finder windows typically have. Note that you can temporarily (until the next login) switch to the Full Finder by choosing Finder⇒Run Full Finder, but you will need an administrator username and password for OS X to change the Finder view.

• Limit Applications: If this option is selected, OS X restricts the user to the applications in the following list. The list has several pre-established categories: App Store, Others Apps, Widgets, and Utilities. (Other compatible applications, such as iWork, appear in the list if you have installed them.) You can enable and disable a group by selecting or deselecting the check box to the group's left. To enable or disable individual applications in a group, expand the group by clicking the disclosure triangle to the left of its name to get a list of all applications in it. Then select or deselect the applications as desired. (Note how the group's check box changes to – when it contains ...