14 DAY TRIAL // Have you ever thought the Internet needed cops? Cops are the order enforcers and crime solvers. They are all over the place at soccer matches, international conventions, concerts, etc? We need them in order to lead a normal life and to feel safe and secure from all crime.
But have you ever imagined how would the Internet be if it had its own crime protector? Imagine there was a virus on the Web and the Internet police would be looking for its origins. Don't extend your imagination that far as to see full speed soft chasing on the WWW highway. But think of some softwares that are able to trace the origins of malware and shut down the source.
Well, now we can have a bobby of our own. It's a little copper, as the only responsibility it has is to rid us of those nagging advertisements we get when opening certain web pages. They pop up when you least expect them to, ruining your concentration and giving you information on God knows what product or new website.
AdCop is a software from Jim Rogers who, in his generosity, released the software as a freeware. The installation kit is 3.65MB large. You do not have to worry about the computer memory usage as the software does not need more than 10Mb of RAM to sentence the lawless ad windows to closing.
The interface of the software has nothing special except for two of the icons in the toolbar: Enforce Rules and Auto Kill. The first one is a sheriff's-like star and the second one is represented by a gun.
The menu is not at all complicated, because the options available in the software are not numerous. The File menu's contents are limited to the Exit (closes the application). The View menu is twice as big as File, considering it shelters the Clear Log option and the settings of the application (Options).
In Options is practically where you will do the most of your work. In the General tab, there are the starting options for the program. And if you make the right settings, you do not have to configure the software each time you start your Windows. The user can set the software to start minimized and to have the Enforce Rules, Auto Kill and Lockdown modes activated.
The Custom Rules tab allows the user to add the applications that have to be started, the applications that are not allowed to start, allow the windows that contain certain phrases to open or not. These are the rules that you impose to the software and the application will obey your orders without commenting.
Let's talk a little about the modes of the program. I've already mentioned all three of them, so proceeding to explaining them seems a logical choice. The Enforce Rules mode will close the applications or windows based on their names. And the list can be created in Options>Custom Rules. Your personal bluecoat will hunt down all the windows or programs specified by you.
Auto Kill mode limits the number of visible windows of a certain application to only one. This mode also supports exclusion from the rule based on phrases. You have to know that when the software is in Auto Kill, the rule will not affect any of the already opened windows. Any additional window (even if it is from the currently opened applications) will be suppressed from displaying.
Lockdown mode is the easiest to use due to its simplicity. This mode of the application will simply not allow any new window to open, no matter what. Just activate this mode and try to open any application on your computer. It won't open because it is locked down.
The Save State will record a list with all the applications you have opened. Once you click that button, the software will internally record all the applications you have open. And then, the button will convert to Restore State. Pressing it will close all the programs that are open but are not in the original list.
The Good
The software is absolutely free and works fine. Considering how easy it is to use, one would think that there isn't any Help menu. But the software will contradict you by making available a Help file containing all the "secrets" of the software.
The Bad
I couldn't find anything wrong with the software's efficiency, but the interface could use a little more color as the About has.
The Truth
I liked this application and it proved itself very efficient. The Log on the application window tells you everything happening and all the processes allowed or suppressed by the software.
Here are some snapshots of the application in action:
