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Андрей Воробъев
Андрей Воробъев

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Umka Parental Control

#devchallenge #githubchallenge

GitHub “Finish-Up-A-Thon” Challenge Submission

This is a submission for the GitHub Finish-Up-A-Thon Challenge

What I Built

Umka Parental Control is a complete parental control system for Windows.

It consists of three applications:

  • parent_app — a desktop tool for parents to configure schedules, night-time internet blocking, and website restrictions.
  • child_app — an agent running on the child’s computer that enforces internet blocking, DNS/Firewall rules, and displays a night screen that cannot be bypassed.
  • remove_child — a utility to completely uninstall child_app, remove firewall rules, and restore the system to its original state.

This project means a lot to me because it solves a real problem: helping families manage children’s screen time and online safety in a simple but technically robust way.

Demo

The Comeback Story

Originally, the project started as a simple DNS blocker. Over time, it grew into a full parental control system with:

  • Stable operation on Windows 10 and Windows 11.
  • Fixed DNS and internet restoration issues after night blocking.
  • Optimized notification system (Qt tray + Plyer fallback).
  • A cleanup utility that correctly removes all UmkaChild_DOH_Block_* rules.
  • Cleaner logging without unnecessary HTTPS error messages.

This Finish-Up-A-Thon challenge motivated me to finalize the project, polish the documentation, and prepare a proper release.

My Experience with GitHub Copilot

GitHub Copilot was my companion throughout the process. It helped me:

  • Debug tricky Python code (like fixing threading issues in notifications).
  • Suggest patches for firewall cleanup scripts.
  • Provide ready-to-use code snippets, configs, and checklists.
  • Keep me focused and motivated with clear explanations and structured guidance.

Without Copilot, finishing this project would have taken much longer. It felt like having a reliable teammate who could instantly propose solutions and help me refine them.

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