X-Git-Url: http://www.privoxy.org/gitweb/?a=blobdiff_plain;f=doc%2Fsource%2Ffaq.sgml;h=41c82046b0da3c11c4b932ffcb2e39e0ea5e6c47;hb=eb50b26228dae41bcdbd8cb517bc8e7c0c690746;hp=0a552bab4161f02f241be48cd6d61743dc30fe68;hpb=c58b39643f7df2a5288c65006669e7cb14d8307c;p=privoxy.git diff --git a/doc/source/faq.sgml b/doc/source/faq.sgml index 0a552bab..41c82046 100644 --- a/doc/source/faq.sgml +++ b/doc/source/faq.sgml @@ -8,10 +8,10 @@ - - - - + + + + @@ -26,9 +26,9 @@ This file belongs into ijbswa.sourceforge.net:/home/groups/i/ij/ijbswa/htdocs/ - $Id: faq.sgml,v 2.19 2006/09/22 10:54:32 hal9 Exp $ + $Id: faq.sgml,v 2.25 2007/07/18 11:00:34 hal9 Exp $ - Copyright (C) 2001-2006 Privoxy Developers http://privoxy.org + Copyright (C) 2001-2007 Privoxy Developers http://privoxy.org See LICENSE. Based partially on the Internet Junkbuster FAQ originally written by and @@ -77,7 +77,7 @@ -$Id: faq.sgml,v 2.19 2006/09/22 10:54:32 hal9 Exp $ +$Id: faq.sgml,v 2.25 2007/07/18 11:00:34 hal9 Exp $ Configuration - -Where can I get updated Actions Files? - - Based on your feedback and the continuing development, updates of - default.action will be - made available from time to time on the files section of - our project page. - - - - If you wish to receive an email notification whenever we release updates of - Privoxy or the actions file, subscribe - to our announce mailing list, ijbswa-announce@lists.sourceforge.net. - - - - -Can I use my old config files? - - The syntax and purpose of configuration files has remained the same - throughout the 3.x series. Although each release contains updated, - improved versions and it is recommended to use the newer - configuration files. - fast-redirects - has changed. See the What's New section - of the User Manual for details.]]> - - - But all configuration files have substantially - changed from the Junkbuster days, and early - versions of Privoxy 2.x. The old files, like - blocklist will not work at all. - - - Refer to the What's New - page for information on configuration changes that may occur from one release to another. - ]]> - - What exactly is an <quote>actions</quote> file? + &my-app; utilizes the concept of + actions + that are used to manipulate and control web page data. Actions files - are where various actions + are where these actions that Privoxy could take while processing a certain request, are configured. Typically, you would define a set of default actions - that apply to all URLs, then add exceptions to these defaults where needed. + that apply globally to all URLs, then add exceptions to these defaults where needed. There is a wide array of actions available that give the user a high degree of control and flexibility on how to process each and every web page. @@ -750,8 +734,8 @@ some of these actions. For a comprehensive discussion of the actions concept, please refer to the actions file - chapter in the user - manual. It includes a in the User + Manual. It includes a list of all actions and an actions file tutorial to get you started. @@ -779,12 +763,12 @@ way to do this? There are several different <quote>actions</quote> files. What are the differences? - As of Privoxy v2.9.15, three actions files - are being included, to be used for + Three actions files + are being included by the developers, to be used for different purposes: These are default.action, the main actions file which is actively maintained by the Privoxy - developers, user.action, where users are encouraged + developers and typically sets the default policies, user.action, where users are encouraged to make their private customizations, and standard.action, which is for internal Privoxy use only. Please see the actions chapter @@ -801,10 +785,64 @@ the differences? +Where can I get updated Actions Files? + + Based on your feedback and the continuing development, updates of + default.action will be + made available from time to time on the files section of + our project page. + + + + If you wish to receive an email notification whenever we release updates of + Privoxy or the actions file, subscribe + to our announce mailing list, ijbswa-announce@lists.sourceforge.net. + + + + +Can I use my old config files? + + The syntax and purpose of configuration files has remained roughly the + same throughout the 3.x series, but backwards compatibility is not guaranteed. + Also each release contains updated, improved versions and it is + therefore recommended to use the newer configuration files. + fast-redirects + has changed. See the What's New section + of the User Manual for details.]]> + + + But all configuration files have substantially + changed from the Junkbuster days, and early + versions of Privoxy 2.x. The old files, like + blocklist will not work at all. + + + Refer to the What's New + page for information on configuration changes that may occur from one release to another. + ]]> + + + +Why is the configuration so complicated? + + Complicated is in the eye of the beholder. Those that are + familiar with some of the underlying concepts, such as regular expression + syntax, take to it like a fish takes to water. Also, software that tries + hard to be user friendly, often lacks sophistication and + flexibility. There is always that trade-off there between power vs. + easy-of-use. Furthermore, anyone is welcome to contribute ideas and + implementations to enhance &my-app;. + + + How can I make my Yahoo/Hotmail/Gmail account work? The default configuration shouldn't impact the usability of any of these services. - It will, however, make all cookies temporary, so that your browser will forget your login credentials in between browser sessions. If you would like not to have to log @@ -830,6 +868,7 @@ the differences? # Gmail is a _fragile_ site: # { fragile } + # Gmail is ... mail.google.com @@ -861,7 +900,9 @@ the differences? Where the defaults are likely to break some sites, exceptions for known popular problem sites are included, but in general, the more aggressive your default settings are, the more exceptions - you will have to make later. See the Cautious setting. This is safest and will have the fewest + problems. See the User Manual for a more detailed discussion. @@ -900,7 +941,7 @@ with a browser? Does that not raise security issues? Note that in the default configuration, only local users (i.e. those on localhost) can connect to Privoxy, - so this is not (normally) a security problem. + so this is (normally) not a security problem. @@ -944,8 +985,8 @@ with a browser? Does that not raise security issues? - -How can I set up Privoxy to act as a proxy for my +<sect2 renderas="sect3" id="lanconfig"> +<title>How can I set up Privoxy to act as a proxy for my LAN? By default, Privoxy only responds to requests @@ -1021,7 +1062,7 @@ with a browser? Does that not raise security issues? If you want to see nothing, then change the set-image-blocker action to blank. This can be done by editing the - default.action file, or trough the user.action file, or through the web-based actions file editor. @@ -1031,12 +1072,13 @@ with a browser? Does that not raise security issues? Why would anybody want to see a checkerboard pattern? Remember that telling which image is an ad and which - isn't, is mostly guesswork. While we hope that the standard configuration - is rather smart, it can and will make errors. The checkerboard image is visually - decent, but it shows you that and where images were blocked, which can be very + isn't, is an educated guess. While we hope that the standard configuration + is rather smart, it will make occasional mistakes. The checkerboard image is visually + decent, and it shows you where images have been blocked, which can be very helpful in case some navigation aid or otherwise innocent image was - erroneously blocked. Some people might also enjoy seeing how many banners - they don't have to see.. + erroneously blocked. It is recommended for new users so they can + see what is happening. Some people might also enjoy seeing how + many banners they don't have to see. @@ -1075,7 +1117,7 @@ on Win2K/NT/XP? Windows service functionality. See - the User Manual for details on how to install and configure + the User Manual for details on how to install and configure Privoxy as a service. @@ -1108,7 +1150,7 @@ and thus avoid individual browser configuration? No, its more complicated than that. This only works with special kinds - of proxies known as transparent proxies (see below). + of proxies known as intercepting proxies (see below). @@ -1117,20 +1159,36 @@ and thus avoid individual browser configuration? Can Privoxy run as a <quote>transparent </quote> proxy? - No, Privoxy currently does not have this ability, - though it may be added in a future release. Transparent proxies require - special handling of the request headers beyond what - Privoxy is now capable of. + The whole idea of Privoxy is to modify client requests + and server responses in all sorts of ways and therefore + it's not a transparent proxy as described in + RFC 2616. + + + However, some people say transparent proxy when they + mean intercepting proxy. If you are one of them, + please read the next entry. + + + +Can Privoxy run as a <quote>intercepting</quote> proxy? - Chaining Privoxy behind another proxy that has - this ability should work though. - See the forwarding chapter - in the User Manual. As - a transparent proxy to be used for chaining we recommend Transproxy - (http://transproxy.sourceforge.net/). + Privoxy can't intercept traffic itself, + but it can handle requests that where intercepted and redirected + with a packet filter (like PF or iptables), as long as the Host + header is present. + + + As the Host header is required by HTTP/1.1 and as most web sites + don't work if it isn't set, this limitation shouldn't be a problem. + + + Please refer to your packet filter's documentation to learn how to + intercept and redirect traffic into Privoxy. Afterward you just have + to configure Privoxy to + accept intercepted requests. @@ -1245,7 +1303,9 @@ and thus avoid individual browser configuration? Each instance of Privoxy has its own configuration, including such attributes as the TCP port that it listens on. What you can do is run multiple instances of Privoxy, each with - a unique listen-address and configuration path, and then + a unique + listen-address + configuration setting, and configuration path, and then each of these can have their own configurations. Think of it as per-port configuration. @@ -1259,7 +1319,7 @@ and thus avoid individual browser configuration? Can I set-up Privoxy as a whitelist of <quote>good</quote> sites? - Sure. There are a couple of things you can do for simple whitelisting. + Sure. There are a couple of things you can do for simple white-listing. Here's one real easy one: @@ -1277,7 +1337,8 @@ and thus avoid individual browser configuration? toys.example.com games.example.com - This allows access to only those three sites. + This allows access to only those three sites by first blocking all URLs, and + then subsequently allowing three specific exceptions. A more interesting approach is Privoxy's @@ -1291,7 +1352,101 @@ and thus avoid individual browser configuration? are various other configuration options that should be disabled (described elsewhere here and in the User Manual) so that users can't modify their own configuration and easily circumvent the - whitelist. + whitelist. + + + + +How can I turn off ad-blocking? + + Ad blocking is achieved through a complex application of various &my-app; + actions. These + actions are deployed against simple images, banners, flash animations, + text pages, JavaScript, pop-ups and pop-unders, etc., so its not as simple as + just turning one or two actions off. The various actions that make up + &my-app; ad blocking are hard-coded into the default configuration files. It + has been assumed that everyone using &my-app; is interested in this + particular feature. + + + If you want to do without this, there are several approaches you can take: + You can manually undo the many block rules in + default.action. Or even easier, just create your own + default.action file from scratch without the many ad + blocking rules, and corresponding exceptions. Or lastly, if you are not + concerned about the additional blocks that are done for privacy reasons, you + can very easily over-ride all blocking with the + following very simple rule in your user.action: + + + + # Unblock everybody, everywhere + { -block } + / # UN-Block *all* URLs + + + Or even a more comprehensive reversing of various ad related actions: + + + + # Unblock everybody, everywhere, and turn off appropriate filtering, etc + { -block \ + -filter{banners-by-size} \ + -filter{banners-by-link} \ + allow-popups \ + } + / # UN-Block *all* URLs and allow ads + + + This last action in this compound statement, + allow-popups, is an alias that disables + various pop-up blocking features. + + + + +How can I have custom template pages, like the +<emphasis>BLOCKED</emphasis> page? + + &my-app; templates are specialized text files utilized by + &my-app; for various purposes and can easily be modified using any text + editor. All the template pages are installed in a sub-directory appropriately + named: templates. Knowing something about HTML syntax + will of course be helpful. You cannot rename any of these files, or create + completely new templates, that is not possible. But you can change the page + content to whatever you like. Be forewarned that these files are subject to + being overwritten during upgrades, so be sure to save any customizations. + + + + +How can I remove the <quote>Go There Anyway</quote> link from +the <emphasis>BLOCKED</emphasis> page? + + There is more than one way to do it. + + + Editing the BLOCKED template page (see above) may dissuade some users, but + this method is easily circumvented. Where you need this level of control, you + should build &my-app; from source, and enable various features that are + available as compile-time options. You should + configure the sources as follows: + + + + ./configure --disable-toggle --disable-editor --disable-force + + + This will create an executable with hard-coded security features so that + &my-app; does not allow easy bypassing of blocked sites, or changing the + current configuration via any connected user's web browser. + + + Note that all of these features can also be toggled on/off via options in + Privoxy's main config file which + means you don't have to recompile anything. @@ -1310,7 +1465,7 @@ has to add extra time to browsing. How much of an impact depends on many things, including the CPU of the host system, how aggressive the configuration is, which specific actions are being triggered, - the size of the page, etc. + the size of the page, the bandwidth of the connection, etc. Overall, it should not slow you down any in real terms, and may actually help @@ -1327,11 +1482,18 @@ has to add extra time to browsing. url="../user-manual/actions-file.html#FILTER">filter or deanimate-gifs - actions will certainly cause a perceived slowdown, since the entire document - needs to be buffered before displaying. And on very large documents, there may be - some impact. How much depends on the page size, the actual definition of the - filter(s), etc. See below. Most other actions have little to no impact on - speed. + actions may cause a perceived slowdown, since the entire document + needs to be buffered before displaying. And on very large documents, filtering may have + some measurable impact. How much depends on the page size, the actual + definition of the filter(s), etc. See below. Most other actions have little + to no impact on speed. + + + Also, when filtering is enabled but zlib support isn't available, compression + is often disabled (see prevent-compression). + This can have an impact on speed as well. Again, the page size, etc. will + determine how much of an impact. @@ -1354,7 +1516,8 @@ delays in page requests compared to the old Junkbuster. What's wrong? more noticeable on slower dialup connections. Extremely large documents may have some impact on the time to load the page where there is filtering being done. But overall, the difference should be very minimal. If there is a - big impact, then probably some other problem is contributing. + big impact, then probably some other situation is contributing (like + anti-virus software). Filtering is automatically disabled for inappropriate MIME types. But note @@ -1422,6 +1585,24 @@ various ways to interact with the developers. +If I do submit missed ads, will +they be included in future updates? + + Whether such submissions are eventually included in the + default.action configuration file depends on how + significant the issue is. We of course want to address any potential + problem with major, high-profile sites such as Google, + Yahoo, etc. Any site with global or regional reach, + has a good chance of being a candidate. But at the other end of the spectrum + are any number of smaller, low-profile sites such as for local clubs or + schools. Since their reach and impact are much less, they are best handled by + inclusion in the user's user.action, and thus would be + unlikely to be included. + + + + + Why doesn't anyone answer my support request? @@ -1437,10 +1618,10 @@ us help you. Your efforts are not wasted, and we do appreciate them. How can I hide my IP address? - If you run both the browser and the proxy locally, you cannot hide your IP + If you run both the browser and &my-app; locally, you cannot hide your IP address with Privoxy or ultimately any other - software. The server needs to know your IP address so that it knows where to - send the responses back. + software alone. The server needs to know your IP address so that it knows + where to send the responses back. There are many publicly usable "anonymous" proxies out there, which @@ -1459,7 +1640,8 @@ us help you. Your efforts are not wasted, and we do appreciate them. with Tor, an EFF supported onion routing system. The configuration details can be found in - How do I use Privoxy together with Tor section + How do I use Privoxy together + with Tor section just below. + +Why am I getting a 503 Error (WSAECONNREFUSED) on every page? + + More than likely this is a problem with your TCP/IP networking. ZoneAlarm has + been reported to cause this symptom -- even if not running! The solution is + to either fight the ZA configuration, or uninstall ZoneAlarm, and then find + something better behaved in its place. Other personal firewall type products + may cause similar type problems if not configured correctly. + + + I just added a new rule, but the steenkin ad is still getting through. How? @@ -1972,8 +2211,7 @@ still getting through. How? If the ad had been displayed before you added its URL, it will probably be held in the browser's cache for some time, so it will be displayed without the need for any request to the server, and Privoxy - will not be in the picture. The best thing to do is try flushing the browser's - caches. And then try again. + will not be involved. Flush the browser's caches, and then try again. @@ -1981,7 +2219,69 @@ still getting through. How? applied. Try pasting the full URL of the offending ad into http://config.privoxy.org/show-url-info and see if it really matches your new rule. Blocking ads is like blocking - spam: a lot of tinkering is required to stay ahead of the game. + spam: a lot of tinkering is required to stay ahead of the game. And + remember you need to block the URL of the ad in question, which may be + entirely different from the site URL itself. Most ads are hosted on different + servers than the main site itself. If you right-click on the ad, you should + be able to get all the relevant information you need. Alternately, you can + find the correct URL by looking at Privoxy's logs. + + + Below is a slightly modified real-life log snippet that originates with one + requested URL: www.example.com (name of site was changed + for this example, the number of requests is real). You can see in this the + complexity of what goes into making up this one page. There + are eight different domains involved here, with thirty two separate URLs + requested in all, making up all manner of images, Shockwave Flash, + JavaScript, CSS stylesheets, scripts, and other related content. Some of this + content is obviously good or bad, but not all. + Many of the more questionable looking requests, are going to outside domains + that seem to be identifying themselves with suspicious looking names, making + our job a little easier. &my-app; has crunched (meaning caught + and BLOCKED) quite a few items in this example, but perhaps missed a few as well. + + + + + + + + Despite 12 out of 32 requests being blocked, the page looked, and seemed to + behave perfectly normal (minus some ads, of course). @@ -2000,14 +2300,20 @@ What can I do? - If still a problem, go to http://config.privoxy.org/show-url-info - and paste the full URL of the page in question into the prompt. See which actions - are being applied to the URL, and which matches in which actions files are - responsible for that. Now, armed with this information, go to required. + Now, armed with this information, go to + http://config.privoxy.org/show-status - and select the appropriate actions files for editing. - + and select the appropriate actions files for editing. You can now either look for a section which disables the actions that you suspect to cause the problem and add a pattern for your site there, @@ -2034,6 +2340,10 @@ What can I do? url="../user-manual/actions-file.html#ACT-EXAMPLES">actions tutorial with general configuration information and examples. + + As a last resort, you can always see if your browser has a setting that will + bypass the proxy setting for selective sites. Modern browsers can do this. + @@ -2107,7 +2417,7 @@ every time I start IE. What gives? To complicate matters, some systems may have a generic proxy - setting, which will silently enable various protocols, including + setting, which will enable various protocols, including both HTTP and FTP proxying! So it is possible to accidentally enable FTP proxying in these cases. And of course, if this happens, Privoxy will indeed cause problems since @@ -2200,18 +2510,6 @@ every time I start IE. What gives? - - -Why am I getting a 503 Error (WSAECONNREFUSED) on every page? - - More than likely this is a problem with your TCP/IP networking. ZoneAlarm has - been reported to cause this symptom -- even if not running. The solution is - to either fight the ZA configuration, or uninstall ZoneAlarm, and then find - something better behaved in its place. Other personal firewall type products - may cause similar type problems if not configured correctly. - - - My logs show many <quote>Unable to get my own hostname</quote> lines. Why? @@ -2231,7 +2529,8 @@ Why? This can be caused by a problem with the local HOSTS file. If this file has been changed from the original, try reverting it to - see if that helps. + see if that helps. Make sure whatever name(s) are used for the local system, + that they resolve both ways. @@ -2243,11 +2542,11 @@ Why? Port 8118 is Privoxy's default TCP listening port. Typically this message would mean that there is already one instance of Privoxy running, and - you are actually trying to start a second Privoxy - on the same port, which will not work. (You can have multiple instances but - they must be assigned different ports.) How and why this might happen varies - from platform to platform, but you need to check your installation and - start-up procedures. + your system is actually trying to start a second + Privoxy on the same port, which will not work. + (You can have multiple instances but they must be assigned different ports.) + How and why this might happen varies from platform to platform, but you need + to check your installation and start-up procedures. @@ -2352,7 +2651,7 @@ Why? - In any case, v. 3.0.5 includes various improvements to help + In any case, newer versions include various improvements to help Privoxy better handle these cases. ]]> @@ -2387,6 +2686,18 @@ browsing has slowed to a crawl. What gives? + +Why do my filters work on some sites but not on others? + + It's probably due to compression. It is a common practice for web servers to + send their content compressed in order to speed things up, and + then let the browser uncompress them. When compiled with zlib support + &my-app; can decompress content before filtering, otherwise you may want to enable +prevent-compression. + + + @@ -2466,6 +2777,26 @@ browsing has slowed to a crawl. What gives? 51 Franklin Street, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA 02110-1301, USA $Log: faq.sgml,v $ +Revision 2.25 2007/07/18 11:00:34 hal9 +Add misc note about valid mark-up in Privoxy. + +Revision 2.24 2006/11/14 01:57:46 hal9 +Dump all docs prior to 3.0.6 release. Various minor changes to faq and user +manual. + +Revision 2.23 2006/10/21 22:19:52 hal9 +Two new FAQs, a rewrite or two, and some touch ups. + +Revision 2.22 2006/10/14 20:33:10 hal9 +Three new FAQ's re: templates and blocking, and various minor touch-ups/improvements. + +Revision 2.21 2006/10/03 14:40:51 fabiankeil +Added links from the Tor faq to the +configuration chapter in the User Manual. + +Revision 2.20 2006/09/26 10:12:37 fabiankeil +Spelling fix. + Revision 2.19 2006/09/22 10:54:32 hal9 Change references to 3.0.4 to 3.0.5 and minor adjustments.