Lock

Working in an office environment means locking your computer when leaving the desk to eliminate the possibility of it to become a prank playground. Applications such as Lock offer you a little extra sense of security or the possibility to get even with a co-worker.

The name of this little utility speaks for itself. Aside from two buttons, the main window features nothing more. Once you hit “Lock” you inevitably get the mouse cursor trapped in a screen with a default background picture, which is a pity that it cannot be changed.

Before reaching this step though, you are required to set a password in order to be able to bring your mouse back to life. Leaving the field blank still makes the main function usable, because the security key request is opened up in a new window which can be ignored.

Once you immobilize your cursor, it still remains partially usable. First of all, motion is not completely disabled, desperately shaking the mouse makes the pointer struggle to stay into position. Buttons suffer from no restrictions, with no implemented option that lets you completely disable the mouse.

Moreover, ignoring the password requirement window still gives you access to the “Lock” function, with no reminder that you are unsecured. The mouse gets trapped indeed, but switching through active windows using specific hotkeys makes the application vulnerable.

Last but not least, it would have been useful to minimize the main window to system tray and make it accessible through hotkeys, but the lack of an options menu keeps the application as straightforward as can be.

To sum it up, Lock tends to feel a little rough around the edges once you get familiarized. It can scare pranksters from your work computer by locking the mouse cursor in a custom screen, but if they are persistent, it can't stand a chance, offering only an illusion of complete security.