The final pane, Advanced, allows a finer degree of control over kids’ Web surfing habits. It contains checkboxes that dictate whether the Web sites your kids visit can run Javascripts or Java applets, or whether they can download files. Javascript is a computer language that can run small programs to submit forms, display the local time on a Web page, or perform other interactive functions.

Note that a separate box must be checked if you want to allow Javascripts to open new windows; this is important because a Javascript could open a window to a new Web site and allow kids to get around the maximum distance off the whitelist, or it could display pictures or other content that you don’t want them to see. It also allows you to block pop-up ads, something you may want to do even if you’re not planning on using BumperCar’s other safety settings.

Java applets are small programs that allow you to play a game, watch a short video clip, or enjoy some other multimedia experience in a browser window. By their nature, Java applets can’t be filtered, so keep that in mind when deciding whether to allow this function. And because there’s no way to filter the content of a file or an ad banner either, you may want to keep your kids from downloading files from Web sites by leaving the box unchecked. If you want to block ad banners, however, you’ll need to check that box.

At the bottom of the Advanced pane, you can limit your kids’ Web surfing to certain times of the day as well as a total number of hours. For example, you might limit their Web surfing to between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., with a total of five hours. Therefore, if they’re online from 8 a.m. straight through to 1 p.m., they’re done for the day because they hit the total hours limit.

You can also choose how you wish cookies to be handled. Cookies are packets of basic information that many Web sites place in BumperCar when you visit them. (They don’t contain personal data such as names, addresses, and so forth.) When you visit those sites again, they recognize you by accessing the cookie in BumperCar and personalizing their layout for you. That’s how Amazon.com, for example, can greet you by name and make product recommendations every time you visit. You can decide whether or not BumperCar will accept cookies, but be aware that some sites require that your Web browser accept them before you can visit.

The "Share settings with other accounts" checkbox will switch BumperCar over to a share group of settings that is applied to every user on the computer. This lets BumperCar be configured from a parent's account and used from a child's. The first time the box is checked, BumperCar will ask for an administrator password in order to establish the shared settings.