There are surprisingly few and sparse posts on LinuxQuestions about a Net Nanny alternative (a web content filter) for Linux. So far, I'm aware of two decent options: DansGuardian + Squid and CensorNet. DansGuardian + Squid is apparently a bitch to configure and requires a dedicated proxy server, so I'm not too keen on that. CensorNet apparently installs from a bootCD and takes everything over instead of installing as a package on whatever Linux machine I've already built, so that's weird and unwanted.

Any other suggestions for a web content filter for Linux? I seem to remember finding another one that looked good a while ago but not I can't find it for the life of me.

Not many younger kids as linux users limits the choices a little I guess. Don't some ISPs do that kind of filtering at their end these days? Might be worth looking at if you can't find an alternative.

I can't imagine any ISPs do this kind of filtering. I'm talking about very harsh language and porn (text and images).

if you feel like farting around with the configuration privoxy
http://www.privoxy.org/
might help you out
you certainly will learn about regular expresions anyway

You could also try :
Welcome to My Linux ISP
http://www.mylinuxisp.com/index.php?extra=17

Or for Firefox:
ProCon is a content filter for the Firefox browser, based on BlockXXX (by Tom Christensen). ProCon filters any type of web pages, but if left on default it limits itself to filter pages containing explicit content automatically, based on the text. ProCon can also censure any single word, and create a WhiteList."
http://procon.mozdev.org/

HOWTO Parental Control, Content Filtering, Surfing Anon - MozillaZine Forums
http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?t=338572

Never actually used it but there are a couple around here who advertise a service like that.

Squid_Guard

I'm a little confused about your comment on Dansguardian + Squid...you say it requires a proxy....Squid is the proxy server.

And it's SUPER easy to setup. I just did a fresh install of FC3 (don't ask) this past weekend. Had to re-setup all of my stuff, including Dansguardian + Squid. My daughter has her own computer in her room with a wifi card and it's setup to use my linux box as the proxy server / filter.

Out of the box it works great, but I like to tighten it down even more. A simple "**" inside the "bannedsitelist" config file and then I add only those sites I approve of in the "exceptionsitelist". In other words a white list approach.

If she wants to go to some website a friend at school told her about, I get to check it out first...if I approve I add it to the white list. Works great.

My daughter is only 7, if your kids are older then the out of the box filtering is probably just fine.

Makes you work pretty hard, and interferes substantially with your daughter's ability to browse, thus providing her a positive incentive to find ways around your restrictions.

In our house, we don't use any content filtering software at all. We also forbid computers in bedrooms; all computers are located in public spaces within the house. The kids have the freedom to browse, with the knowledge that at any time mom or dad may appear and look over their shoulders.

Also, in our house, my knowledge of computers is vastly greater than that of my kids, and they understand that whenever I deem it necessary I will monitor any of their computer activity - without their knowledge or consent - that I wish to monitor.

Further, I do educate them on "safe computing" and about the dangers of cyber stalkers. And after that, we let them browse where they will. Occasionally, I peek in. I have never found a problem

Okay, Squid is the web proxy on the local machine, but I still need Apache set up. Does Squidgaurd require that?

ProCon is infinitely easier to set up (no proxy server, no Apache, GUI config, etc.) and therefore more what I'm looking for. But it doesn't yet password-protect modification, and it ignores Firefox tabs loaded in the background.

Apache needs to be installed and there is only minor configuration required. A squid proxy server is in
itself a security tool designed to limit access to certain services and ports.