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42 <h1 class="SECT1"><a name="CONTACT" id="CONTACT">8. Contacting the
43 developers, Bug Reporting and Feature Requests</a></h1>
45 <p>We value your feedback. In fact, we rely on it to improve <span class=
46 "APPLICATION">Privoxy</span> and its configuration. However, please note
47 the following hints, so we can provide you with the best support:</p>
50 <h2 class="SECT2"><a name="CONTACT-SUPPORT" id="CONTACT-SUPPORT">8.1.
53 <p>For casual users, our <a href=
54 "http://sourceforge.net/tracker/?group_id=11118&atid=211118"
55 target="_top">support forum at SourceForge</a> is probably best suited:
57 "http://sourceforge.net/tracker/?group_id=11118&atid=211118"
58 target="_top">http://sourceforge.net/tracker/?group_id=11118&atid=211118</a></p>
60 <p>All users are of course welcome to discuss their issues on the
61 <a href="http://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/ijbswa-users"
62 target="_top">users mailing list</a>, where the developers also hang
65 <p>Please don't sent private support requests to individual Privoxy
66 developers, either use the mailing lists or the support trackers.</p>
68 <p>If you have to contact a Privoxy developer directly for other
69 reasons, please send a real mail and do not bother with SourceForge's
70 messaging system. Answers to SourceForge messages are usually bounced
71 by SourceForge's mail server in which case the developer wasted time
72 writing a response you don't get. From your point of view it will look
73 like your message has been completely ignored, so this is frustrating
74 for all parties involved.</p>
76 <p>Note that the Privoxy mailing lists are moderated. Posts from
77 unsubscribed addresses have to be accepted manually by a moderator.
78 This may cause a delay of several days and if you use a subject that
79 doesn't clearly mention Privoxy or one of its features, your message
80 may be accidentally discarded as spam.</p>
82 <p>If you aren't subscribed, you should therefore spend a few seconds
83 to come up with a proper subject. Additionally you should make it clear
84 that you want to get CC'd. Otherwise some responses will be directed to
85 the mailing list only, and you won't see them.</p>
89 <h2 class="SECT2"><a name="REPORTING" id="REPORTING">8.2. Reporting
92 <p><span class="QUOTE">"Problems"</span> for our purposes, come in two
97 <p>Configuration issues, such as ads that slip through, or sites
98 that don't function properly due to one <span class=
99 "APPLICATION">Privoxy</span> <span class="QUOTE">"action"</span> or
100 another being turned <span class="QUOTE">"on"</span>.</p>
104 <p><span class="QUOTE">"Bugs"</span> in the programming code that
105 makes up <span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy</span>, such as that
106 might cause a crash.</p>
111 <h3 class="SECT3"><a name="CONTACT-ADS" id="CONTACT-ADS">8.2.1.
112 Reporting Ads or Other Configuration Problems</a></h3>
114 <p>Please send feedback on ads that slipped through, innocent images
115 that were blocked, sites that don't work properly, and other
116 configuration related problem of <tt class=
117 "FILENAME">default.action</tt> file, to <a href=
118 "http://sourceforge.net/tracker/?group_id=11118&atid=460288"
120 "_top">http://sourceforge.net/tracker/?group_id=11118&atid=460288</a>,
121 the Actions File Tracker.</p>
123 <p>New, improved <tt class="FILENAME">default.action</tt> files may
124 occasionally be made available based on your feedback. These will be
125 announced on the <a href=
126 "http://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/ijbswa-announce" target=
127 "_top">ijbswa-announce</a> list and available from our the <a href=
128 "http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=11118" target=
129 "_top">files section</a> of our <a href=
130 "http://sf.net/projects/ijbswa/" target="_top">project page</a>.</p>
134 <h3 class="SECT3"><a name="CONTACT-BUGS" id="CONTACT-BUGS">8.2.2.
135 Reporting Bugs</a></h3>
137 <p>Please report all bugs through our bug tracker: <a href=
138 "http://sourceforge.net/tracker/?group_id=11118&atid=111118"
140 "_top">http://sourceforge.net/tracker/?group_id=11118&atid=111118</a>.</p>
142 <p>Before doing so, please make sure that the bug has <span class=
143 "emphasis"><i class="EMPHASIS">not already been submitted</i></span>
144 and observe the additional hints at the top of the <a href=
145 "http://sourceforge.net/tracker/?func=add&group_id=11118&atid=111118"
146 target="_top">submit form</a>. If already submitted, please feel free
147 to add any info to the original report that might help to solve the
150 <p>Please try to verify that it is a <span class=
151 "APPLICATION">Privoxy</span> bug, and not a browser or site bug or
152 documented behaviour that just happens to be different than what you
153 expected. If unsure, try <a href=
154 "http://config.privoxy.org/toggle?set=disable" target="_top">toggling
155 off</a> <span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy</span>, and see if the
156 problem persists.</p>
158 <p>If you are using your own custom configuration, please try the
159 stock configs to see if the problem is configuration related. If
160 you're having problems with a feature that is disabled by default,
161 please ask around on the mailing list if others can reproduce the
164 <p>If you aren't using the latest Privoxy version, the bug may have
165 been found and fixed in the meantime. We would appreciate if you
166 could take the time to <a href=
167 "http://www.privoxy.org/user-manual/installation.html" target=
168 "_top">upgrade to the latest version</a> (or even the latest CVS
169 snapshot) and verify that your bug still exists.</p>
171 <p>Please be sure to provide the following information:</p>
175 <p>The exact <span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy</span> version you
176 are using (if you got the source from CVS, please also provide
177 the source code revisions as shown in <a href=
178 "http://config.privoxy.org/show-version" target=
179 "_top">http://config.privoxy.org/show-version</a>).</p>
183 <p>The operating system and versions you run <span class=
184 "APPLICATION">Privoxy</span> on, (e.g. <span class=
185 "APPLICATION">Windows XP SP2</span>), if you are using a Unix
186 flavor, sending the output of <span class="QUOTE">"uname
187 -a"</span> should do, in case of GNU/Linux, please also name the
192 <p>The name, platform, and version of the <span class=
193 "APPLICATION">browser</span> you were using (e.g. <span class=
194 "APPLICATION">Internet Explorer v5.5</span> for Mac).</p>
198 <p>The URL where the problem occurred, or some way for us to
199 duplicate the problem (e.g. <tt class=
200 "LITERAL">http://somesite.example.com/?somethingelse=123</tt>).</p>
204 <p>Whether your version of <span class=
205 "APPLICATION">Privoxy</span> is one supplied by the <span class=
206 "APPLICATION">Privoxy</span> developers via SourceForge, or if
207 you got your copy somewhere else.</p>
211 <p>Whether you are using <span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy</span>
212 in tandem with another proxy such as <span class=
213 "APPLICATION">Tor</span>. If so, please temporary disable the
214 other proxy to see if the symptoms change.</p>
218 <p>Whether you are using a personal firewall product. If so, does
219 <span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy</span> work without it?</p>
223 <p>Any other pertinent information to help identify the problem
224 such as config or log file excerpts (yes, you should have log
225 file entries for each action taken). To get a meaningful logfile,
226 please make sure that the <a href=
227 "../user-manual/config.html#LOGFILE" target="_top">logfile
228 directive</a> is being used and the following <a href=
229 "../user-manual/config.html#DEBUG" target="_top">debug
230 options</a> are enabled:</p>
232 <p class="LITERALLAYOUT">
233 debug 1 # Log the destination for each request Privoxy let through. See also debug 1024.<br>
235 debug 2 # show each connection status<br>
237 debug 4 # show I/O status<br>
239 debug 8 # show header parsing<br>
241 debug 128 # debug redirects<br>
242 debug 256 # debug GIF de-animation<br>
244 debug 512 # Common Log Format<br>
246 debug 1024 # Log the destination for requests Privoxy didn't let through, and the reason why.<br>
248 debug 4096 # Startup banner and warnings.<br>
250 debug 8192 # Non-fatal errors</p>If you
251 are having trouble with a filter, please additionally enable
253 <p class="LITERALLAYOUT">
254 debug 64 # debug regular expression filters</p>If
255 you are using Privoxy 3.0.17 or later and suspect that it
256 interprets the request or the response incorrectly, please enable
258 <p class="LITERALLAYOUT">
259 debug 32768 # log all data read from the network</p>Note
260 that Privoxy log files may contain sensitive information so
261 please don't submit any logfiles you didn't read first. You can
262 mask sensitive information as long as it's clear that you removed
267 <p>You don't have to tell us your actual name when filing a problem
268 report, but if you don't, please use a nickname so we can
269 differentiate between your messages and the ones entered by other
270 "anonymous" users that may respond to your request if they have the
271 same problem or already found a solution. Note that due to spam the
272 trackers may not always allow to post without being logged into
273 SourceForge. If that's the case, you are still free to create a login
274 that isn't directly linked to your name, though.</p>
276 <p>Please also check the status of your request a few days after
277 submitting it, as we may request additional information. If you use a
278 SF id, you should automatically get a mail when someone responds to
279 your request. Please don't bother to add an email address when using
280 the tracker. If you prefer to communicate through email, just use one
281 of the mailing lists directly.</p>
283 <p>If you are new to reporting problems, you might be interested in
284 <a href="http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/bugs.html"
285 target="_top">How to Report Bugs Effectively</a>.</p>
288 "http://www.privoxy.org/user-manual/appendix.html#ACTIONSANAT"
289 target="_top">appendix of the Privoxy User Manual</a> also has
290 helpful information on understanding <tt class=
291 "LITERAL">actions</tt>, and <tt class="LITERAL">action</tt>
297 <h2 class="SECT2"><a name="CONTACT-FEATURE" id="CONTACT-FEATURE">8.3.
298 Request New Features</a></h2>
300 <p>You are welcome to submit ideas on new features or other proposals
301 for improvement through our feature request tracker at <a href=
302 "http://sourceforge.net/tracker/?atid=361118&group_id=11118"
303 target="_top">http://sourceforge.net/tracker/?atid=361118&group_id=11118</a>.</p>
307 <h2 class="SECT2"><a name="MAILING-LISTS" id="MAILING-LISTS">8.4.
308 Mailing Lists</a></h2>
310 <p>If you prefer to communicate through email, instead of using a web
311 interface, feel free to use one of the mailing lists. To discuss issues
312 that haven't been completely diagnosed yet, please use the Privoxy
313 users list. Technically interested users and people who wish to
314 contribute to the project are always welcome on the developers list.
315 You can find an overview of all <span class=
316 "APPLICATION">Privoxy</span>-related mailing lists, including list
317 archives, at: <a href="http://sourceforge.net/mail/?group_id=11118"
318 target="_top">http://sourceforge.net/mail/?group_id=11118</a>.</p>
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