FB Limiter

Editors' ReviewDownload.com staffFebruary 4, 2013It had to come to this, didn't it? You can't trust yourself to stay away from Facebook long enough to get any work done before lunch. And don't get us started on YouTube. We mean that: don't get us started on YouTube. Hours vanish. So you're thinking about software that blocks Facebook and YouTube at specific times because something must stop the madness. That's where FB Limiter from AxiomCoders enters the scene. This free tool prevents users from accessing Facebook, YouTube, or both. Your password controls access. You can keep your kids from going on Facebook until their homework is done, or your employees from killing your time. You can even use it on yourself, if you're willing to let FB Limiter make you do it.Installing FB Limiter includes a free registration step that involves creating a password and choosing a secret question, though you can also click Skip. The installer also recommends closing and restarting any open browsers. FB Limiter is based on a premium tool, FB Limiter Pro, and the user interface includes tools unavailable in the freeware. The free version offers the Total Lock but not the Normal, Time, and Duration Lock features. Basically, the freeware lets you block either Facebook or YouTube for predetermined periods ranging from 1 hour to seven days. The site remains blocked until the time expires and can't be undone, according to a pop-up warning message, so we opted to block Facebook for 1 hour. Another pop-up warned us that FB Limiter can't be uninstalled during the blocking period (which thwarts clever kids!). We clicked Yes and then tried to access Facebook. Here's where things got a bit strange: FB Limiter blocked access in 32-bit Windows 7 but not on our 64-bit Windows 7 machine. Even with both Total Locks activated, we could still sign in to Facebook and play videos on YouTube in IE, Chrome, Firefox, and other browsers in 64-bit Windows, though we'd restarted our browsers and even rebooted.Here's the bottom line on FB Limiter's basic version: It's free. If you think you need it, try it. You have nothing to lose except your distractions.