Expert’s Rating
Our Verdict
Digital Sentryis an aptly refer program that monitors your computer for any of a number of events . When it detects one of those event , it then occupy whatever action ( or serial of action ) you ’ve define for that event ( Digital Sentry scream a defined set of actions amonitor ) . What sort of case can Digital Sentry detect ? A amazingly wide variety , including the transit of a set amount of time , an app being launched or trip , a mouse button or curlicue wheel being moved , a change in power root or screen solvent , a mass being mounted or unmounted , and a substance abuser password being enroll wrongly .
Once you ’ve chosen an effect to supervise , the next pace is to define the action or actions to be hire when the event fall out . There are 16 actions to pick out from that cover the expected ( run a shell script , open a filing cabinet or programme , put the computer to sleep ) to the unexpected ( display a fake security system alert , speak some text , take a World Wide Web Cam River scene , transmit a text message ) . Each action will have some associated constellation options , such as the text to verbalize , the amount of time to delay , which file to open , loudness level , etc .
Actions are added by dragging them from a source list into a blank workplace sphere , much as work flow are built in Automator ; you’re able to also rearrange actions by dragging them around within the work area . A elementary example would be a proctor that waits a set amount of time , then runs a backup program . Or see a scenario where you distrust someone ’s been assay to split your password on your cubicle - dwell Mac at study . Using Digital Sentry , you could promptly create a monitor that does all of the following :
These two Digital Sentry monitors watch for incorrect password attempts and report when a certain folder has been modified.
The opening are circumscribed to what you may think to link together — and with the ability to accomplish racing shell scripts and run app , you may make your Digital Sentry admonisher do reasonably much anything . When run away , Digital Sentry is a faceless background program ; it does n’t have an picture in the Dock . All fundamental interaction with the curriculum starts with a detent on its menu bar image . you may also set a password for Digital Sentry , so that it ca n’t be accessed or resign without supplying the password .
The interface for create monitors is nicely laid out , making it well-heeled to create a new monitor . The only affair that ’s a bit unmatched is that you have to name the monitor before you specialize the event you ’d like to monitor . If you are n’t familiar with the available events , you ’ll probably end up skip forward to see the events list , then return to name your varan . But this is a relatively minor quibble .
Digital Sentry has one last feature article that ’s likely to be controversial : a key stroke registrar . access via the program ’s preferences , the keystroke monitor will register ( to a log file cabinet ) everything typecast while your user is enter . In my testing , the recorder charm almost all my key stroke . When I entered my word to unlock the screensaver , this was n’t recorded ; a word entered withsudo , however , was captured . On my motorcar , at least , there were also many supernumerary characters record , especially when I used the duty period winder . A cap “ due east , ” for instance , look as “ AE , ” and was now and then followed by an “ a. ” Thankfully , Digital Sentry does n’t endeavor to conceal its existence ; if you’re able to see it in the menu bar , you jazz it ’s running .
These two Digital Sentry monitors watch for wrong password effort and account when a certain folder has been modify .
Digital Sentry is a alone program — I’ve not previously run across anything that does exactly what it does . Documentation is a short light , but there ’s enough there ( get at via the Digital Sentry assist entry in the program ’s menu bar icon ) to get you conk out .
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[ Rob Griffiths is a senior editor for Macworld . ]
