This page describes some ways to configure Pluckeye on a shared family computer by way of example.

Basic setup

Imagine a family consisting of Peter (dad), Susan (mom), Edmund (school-age child), and Lucy (younger child) Pevensie.

The dad, Peter, wants standard Pluckeye filtering (blocking of images and videos by default, with exceptions that he creates himself).

The mom, Susan, does not want anything filtered.

Edmund only needs access to Microsoft Teams for school.

Lucy is not allowed Internet access at all.

Here’s how this family could configure Pluckeye:

Peter makes sure there’s a separate password-protected computer user account for all 4 of the Pevensies.
Peter installs Pluckeye.
Peter enables the system feature so that Pluckeye blocks Edge and other programs. He opens a console window and types the following:
```
     pluck + system
```

Peter them configures Pluckeye for everybody else.

     pluck + allow user:susan
     pluck + block user:lucy
     pluck + block user:edmund
     pluck + allow program:teams.exe user:edmund

At this point, Susan has unrestricted Internet, Peter has the ordinary Pluckeye rules, Edmund will only be able to use teams.exe and no other programs, and Lucy will not have access to the Internet at all.

But, one final step is needed to protect the kids!

Protecting the configuration

After completing the steps above, any of Peter, Susan, Lucy, or Edmund could change Pluckeye configuration. So, if Edmund was so inclined, he could simply remove the restrictions on his account!

     pluck - block user:edmund

Oops! Better hope Edmund either isn’t tech savvy or isn’t easily tempted!

To prevent this, Peter or Susan have a couple options:

Making the device restricted

If Lucy and Edmund have shown themselves untrustworthy, Peter might also make the computer a restricted device so that only he can change the Pluckeye configuration.

If Peter himself is untrustworthy, Susan should instead

create an account on https://u.pluckeye.net/ for herself
make the computer the computer a restricted device.

Be aware that the person who first logs into https://u.pluckeye.net/ will be able to make the device restricted.

Synchronizing configuration for monitoring

If Peter is a careful person, he’ll create an account on https://u.pluckeye.net/ , and then he’ll start configuration synchronization like so:

   pluck upload

That way, he can see the complete history of changes made to the settings (including ones made by Edmund or Lucy).

Using a large delay (meh)

Peter could simply use a substantial delay, such as 1 day, to make sure Edmund doesn’t try to change the delay while he’s supposedly doing his Microsoft-teams-based pandemic-time schooling.

    pluck + delay 1d

Miscenalleous additional configuration a parent might want

While the configuration example above is pretty good, there are a few additional changes parents should use as well (unless they are tech-savvy and know enough to do otherwise).

Enable the nhb feature

The nhb feature turns on miscellaneous “extra blocking”, and it is recommended for parents who are configuring a child’s device.

   pluck + nhb

Use the semi-conservative parent configuration

The semi-conservative parent configuration imports several other configurations that an ordinary Pluckeye user may not want, but that a conservative parent would. This prevents the downloading of programs, browser extensions, documents, and more from sites that are not explicitly allowed.

Note that the semi-conservative parent configuration does not enable the system feature, nor restrict the device. Both of these steps are recommended for parental control.

Final thoughts

This page is merely an example to illustrate some ways to configure Pluckeye. Please do adapt it to your own circumstance.

Do not assume that the configuration above is a good fit for your child. Depending on your level of comfort with computers, you may want to consider using monitoring software as well or another filter instead.

Pluckeye family (aka multiuser) setup