<!entity history SYSTEM "history.sgml">
<!entity copyright SYSTEM "copyright.sgml">
<!entity license SYSTEM "license.sgml">
-<!entity p-version "3.0.4">
-<!entity p-status "beta">
+<!entity p-version "3.0.5">
+<!entity p-status "BETA">
<!entity % p-not-stable "INCLUDE">
<!entity % p-stable "IGNORE">
<!entity % p-text "IGNORE"> <!-- define we are not a text only doc -->
<!entity % p-doc "INCLUDE"> <!-- and we are a formal doc -->
<!entity % p-supp-userman "INCLUDE"> <!-- Include all from supported.sgml -->
<!entity my-copy "©"> <!-- kludge for docbook2man -->
+<!entity % p-newstuff "INCLUDE"> <!-- exclude stuff from devel versions -->
+<!entity my-app "<application>Privoxy</application>">
]>
<!--
File : $Source: /cvsroot/ijbswa/current/doc/source/faq.sgml,v $
This file belongs into
ijbswa.sourceforge.net:/home/groups/i/ij/ijbswa/htdocs/
- $Id: faq.sgml,v 2.14 2006/09/05 13:25:12 david__schmidt Exp $
+ $Id: faq.sgml,v 2.18 2006/09/22 01:27:55 hal9 Exp $
- Copyright (C) 2001-2006 Privoxy Developers <developers@privoxy.org>
+ Copyright (C) 2001-2006 Privoxy Developers http://privoxy.org
See LICENSE.
Based partially on the Internet Junkbuster FAQ originally written by and
</subscript>
</pubdate>
-<pubdate>$Id: faq.sgml,v 2.14 2006/09/05 13:25:12 david__schmidt Exp $</pubdate>
+<pubdate>$Id: faq.sgml,v 2.18 2006/09/22 01:27:55 hal9 Exp $</pubdate>
<!--
<para>
This FAQ gives quick answers to frequently asked questions about
<ulink url="http://www.privoxy.org/">Privoxy</ulink>.
- It can't and doesn't replace the
- <ulink url="../user-manual/index.html"><citetitle>User Manual</citetitle></ulink>.
+ It is not a substitute for the
+ <ulink url="../user-manual/index.html"><citetitle>Privoxy User Manual</citetitle></ulink>.
<!--
This works, at least in some situtations:
Test: <ulink url="privoxy-user-manual.pdf"><citetitle>User Manual</citetitle></ulink>.
</para>
<!-- Include privoxy.sgml boilerplate: -->
- &p-intro;
+ <para>What is Privoxy?</para> &p-intro;
<!-- end boilerplate -->
<para>
<!-- ~~~~~ New section ~~~~~ -->
<sect1 id="general"><title>General Information</title>
+<sect2 renderas="sect3" id="who_uses"><title>Who should use Privoxy?</title>
+ <para>
+ Anyone that is interested in security, privacy, or in
+ finer-grained control over their web and Internet experience.
+ Everyone is encouraged to try &my-app;.
+ </para>
+</sect2>
-<sect2 renderas="sect3" id="newjb"><title>What is this new version of <application>Junkbuster</application>?</title>
+<sect2 renderas="sect3" id="bestchoice"><title>Is Privoxy the best choice for
+me?</title>
+ <para>
+ &my-app; is certainly a good choice, especially for those who want more
+ control and security. Those that have the ability to fine-tune their installation
+ will benefit the most. One of <application>Privoxy's</application>
+ strength's is that it is highly configurable giving you the ability to
+ completely personalize your installation. Being familiar with, or at least
+ having an interest in learning about <ulink
+ url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Http">HTTP</ulink> and other networking
+ protocols, <ulink url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Html">HTML</ulink>,
+ <ulink url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_Protocol">IP (Internet
+ Protocol)</ulink>, and
+ <ulink url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regular_expressions"><quote>Regular
+ Expressions</quote></ulink>
+ will be a big plus and will help you get the most out
+ of &my-app;.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ Much of <application>Privoxy's</application> configuration can be done
+ with a <ulink url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_browser">Web browser</ulink>.
+ But there are areas where configuration is done using a
+ <ulink url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Text_editors">text editor</ulink>
+ to edit configuration files.
+ </para>
+</sect2>
+
+<sect2 renderas="sect3" id="proxymoron"><title>What is a <quote>proxy</quote>? How does
+Privoxy work? </title>
+ <para>
+ A <ulink url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proxy_server">web proxy</ulink>
+ is a service, based on a software such as
+ <application>Privoxy</application>, that clients (i.e. browsers) can use
+ instead of connecting directly to web servers on the Internet. The
+ clients then ask the proxy to fetch the objects they need (web pages,
+ images, movies etc) on their behalf, and when the proxy has done so, it
+ hands the results back to the client. It is a <quote>go-between</quote>. See
+ the <ulink url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proxy_server">Wikipedia proxy
+ definition</ulink> for more.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ There are many reasons to use web proxies, such as security (firewalling),
+ efficiency (caching) and others, and there are any number of proxies
+ to accommodate those needs.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ <application>Privoxy</application> is a proxy that is primarily focused on privacy
+ protection, ad and junk elimination and freeing the user from restrictions placed on his
+ activities. Sitting between your browser(s) and the Internet,
+ it is in a perfect position to filter outbound personal information that your
+ browser is leaking, as well as inbound junk. It uses a variety of techniques to do
+ this, all of which are under your complete control via the various configuration
+ files and options.
+ </para>
+</sect2>
+
+<sect2 renderas="sect3" id="newjb"><title>What is this new version of
+<quote><citetitle>Junkbuster</citetitle></quote>?</title>
<!-- Include history.sgml -->
&history;
<sect2 renderas="sect3">
<title id="whyprivoxy">Why <quote>Privoxy</quote>? Why change the name from
-<application>Junkbuster</application> at all?</title>
+Junkbuster at all?</title>
<para>
<ulink url="http://junkbusters.com/">Junkbusters Corporation</ulink>
continues to offer their original version of the <application>Internet
</sect2>
-<sect2 renderas="sect3" id="differs"><title>How does <application>Privoxy</application> differ
-from the old <application>Junkbuster?</application></title>
+<sect2 renderas="sect3" id="differs"><title>How does Privoxy differ
+from the old Junkbuster?</title>
<para>
<application>Privoxy</application> picks up where
<application>Junkbuster</application> left off. All the old features remain.
The new <application>Privoxy</application> still blocks ads and banners,
- still manages cookies, and still helps protect your privacy. But, these are
- all greatly enhanced, and many, many new features have been added, all in the same vein.
+ still manages <ulink
+ url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Browser_cookie">cookies</ulink>, and still
+ helps protect your privacy. But, these are all greatly enhanced, and many,
+ many new features have been added, all in the same vein.
</para>
<para>
The configuration has changed significantly as well. This is something that
<application>Junkbuster</application> 2.0.x. The <quote>blocklist</quote>
<quote>cookielist</quote>, <quote>imagelist</quote> and much more has been
combined into the <quote>actions</quote> files, with a completely different
- syntax. See the <ulink url="../user-manual/whatsnew.html">What's New</ulink>
- page for the latest updates.
+ syntax.
<![%p-newstuff;[ See the <ulink url="../user-manual/whatsnew.html">What's New</ulink>
+ page for the latest updates.]]>
</para>
<para>
<application>Privoxy</application>'s new features include:
</sect2>
-<sect2 renderas="sect3" id="proxymoron"><title>What is a <quote>proxy</quote>? How does
-<application>Privoxy</application> work? </title>
- <para>
- A web proxy is a service, based on a software such as <application>Privoxy</application>,
- that clients (i.e. browsers) can use instead of connecting directly to the web
- servers on the Internet. The clients then ask the proxy to fetch the objects
- they need (web pages, images, movies etc) on their behalf, and when the proxy
- has done so, it hands the results back to the client.
- </para>
- <para>
- There are many reasons to use web proxies, such as security (firewalling),
- efficiency (caching) and others, and there are just as many different proxies
- to accommodate those needs.
- </para>
- <para>
- <application>Privoxy</application> is a proxy that is primarily focused on privacy
- protection, junk elimination and freeing the user from restrictions placed on his
- activities. Sitting between your browser(s) and the Internet,
- it is in a perfect position to filter outbound personal information that your
- browser is leaking, as well as inbound junk. It uses a variety of techniques to do
- this, all of which are under your control via the various configuration
- files and options.
- </para>
-</sect2>
-
-
<sect2 renderas="sect3" id="whatsanad">
-<title id="knows">How does <application>Privoxy</application> know what is
+<title id="knows">How does Privoxy know what is
an ad, and what is not?</title>
<para>
<application>Privoxy</application>'s approach to blocking ads is twofold:
and the host (blocking the big banner hosting services like doublecklick.net
already helps a lot). <application>Privoxy</application> takes advantage of this
fact by using <ulink url="../user-manual/actions-file.html#AF-PATTERNS">URL
- patterns</ulink> to sort out and block the requests for banners.
+ patterns</ulink> to sort out and block the requests for things that sound
+ like they would be ads or banners.
</para>
<para>
Second, banners tend to come in certain <emphasis>sizes</emphasis>. But you
</para>
<para>
Both of this involves a certain amount of guesswork and is, of course, freely
- configurable.
+ and readily configurable.
</para>
</sect2>
<sect2 renderas="sect3">
-<title id="mistakes">Can <application>Privoxy</application> make mistakes?
+<title id="mistakes">Can Privoxy make mistakes?
This does not sound very scientific.</title>
<para>
Actually, it's a black art ;-) And yes, it is always possible to have a broad
<sect2 renderas="sect3">
-<title id="configornot">Will I have to configure <application>Privoxy</application>
+<title id="configornot">Will I have to configure Privoxy
before I can use it?</title>
<para>
No, not really. The default installation should give you a good starting
encourage you to do this. This is where the real power of
<application>Privoxy</application> lies!
</para>
+<para>
+ You will have to tell your browser about <application>Privoxy</application>
+ (see the Installation section below).
+</para>
</sect2>
<sect2 renderas="sect3" id="browsers2"><title>My browser does the same things as
-<application>Privoxy</application>. Why should I use
-<application>Privoxy</application> at all?</title>
+Privoxy. Why should I use
+Privoxy at all?</title>
<para>
Modern browsers do indeed have <emphasis>some</emphasis> of the same
functionality as <application>Privoxy</application>. Maybe this is
</para>
</sect2>
-
+<sect2 renderas="sect3" id="whytrust"><title>Why should I trust Privoxy?</title>
+ <para>
+ The most important reason is because you have access to
+ <emphasis>everything</emphasis>, and you can control everything. You can
+ check every line of every configuration file yourself. You can check every
+ last bit of source code should you desire. And even if you can't read code,
+ there should be some comfort in knowing that thousands of other people can,
+ and do read it. You can build the software from scratch, if you want, so
+ that you know the executable is clean, and that it is
+ <emphasis>yours</emphasis>. In fact, we encourage this level of scrutiny. It
+ is one reason we use &my-app; ourselves.
+ </para>
+</sect2>
<sect2 renderas="sect3" id="license"><title>Is there is a license or fee? What about a
warranty? Registration?</title>
</sect2>
+<sect2 renderas="sect3" id="spyware">
+<title>Can Privoxy remove spyware? Adware? Viruses?</title>
+<para>
+ No. &my-app; cannot remove anything. It is not a removal tool. It is a
+ preventative. &my-app; can help prevent contact from sites
+ that use such tactics with approriate configuration rules, and thus could
+ conceivably prevent contamination from such sites.
+</para>
+</sect2>
+
+
+<sect2 renderas="sect3" id="otherads">
+<title>Can I use Privoxy with other ad-blocking software?</title>
+<para>
+ &my-app; should work fine with other proxies and other software in general.
+</para>
+<para>
+ But it is probably not necessary to use &my-app; in conjunction with other
+ ad-blocking products, and this could conceivably cause undesirable results.
+ It would be better to choose one software or the other and work a little to
+ tweak its configuration to your liking.
+</para>
+</sect2>
+
<sect2 renderas="sect3" id="jointeam"><title>I would like to help you, what can I do?</title>
<sect3 renderas="sect4" id="jointeam-work"><title>Would you like to participate?</title>
<sect1 id="installation"><title>Installation</title>
<sect2 renderas="sect3" id="whichbrowsers">
-<title>Which browsers are supported by <application>Privoxy</application>?</title>
+<title>Which browsers are supported by Privoxy?</title>
<para>
Any browser that can be configured to use a proxy, which
should be virtually all browsers, including
</sect2>
<sect2 renderas="sect3" id="email-client">
-<title>Can I use <application>Privoxy</application> with my email client?</title>
+<title>Can I use Privoxy with my email client?</title>
<para>
As long as there is some way to set a HTTP proxy for the client, then yes,
any application can be used, whether it is strictly speaking a
</sect2>
<sect2 renderas="sect3" id="newinstall"><title>Can I install
- <application>Privoxy</application> over <application>Junkbuster</application>?</title>
+ Privoxy over Junkbuster?</title>
<para>
We recommend you un-install <application>Junkbuster</application>
first to minimize conflicts and confusion. You may want to
files and syntax have substantially changed, so you will need to manually
port your old patterns. See the <ulink url="../user-manual/upgradersnote.html">note
to upgraders</ulink> and <ulink url="../user-manual/installation.html">installation
- chapter</ulink> in the <ulink url="../user-manual/index.html">user manual</ulink>
+ chapter</ulink> in the <ulink url="../user-manual/index.html">User Manual</ulink>
for details.
</para>
<para>
</sect2>
<sect2 renderas="sect3">
-<title id="firststep">I just installed <application>Privoxy</application>. Is there anything
+<title id="firststep">I just installed Privoxy. Is there anything
special I have to do now?</title>
<para>
as a proxy by specifying the correct proxy address and port number
in the appropriate configuration area for the browser. See below.
You should also flush your browser's memory and disk cache to get rid of any
- cached junk items, and remove any stored cookies.
+ cached junk items, and remove any stored
+ <ulink url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Browser_cookie">cookies</ulink>.
</para>
</sect2>
-<sect2 renderas="sect3" id="localhost"><title>What is the proxy address of <application>Privoxy</application>?</title>
+<sect2 renderas="sect3" id="localhost"><title>What is the proxy address of Privoxy?</title>
<para>
If you set up the <application>Privoxy</application> to run on
the computer you browse from (rather than your ISP's server or some
</sect2>
<sect2 renderas="sect3" id="nothing">
-<title>I just installed <application>Privoxy</application>, and nothing is happening.
+<title>I just installed Privoxy, and nothing is happening.
All the ads are there. What's wrong?</title>
<para>
on starting <application>Privoxy</application> and browser configuration,
see the <ulink url="http://www.privoxy.org/user-manual/startup.html">chapter
on starting <application>Privoxy</application></ulink> in the
- <ulink url="http://www.privoxy.org/user-manual/">user manual</ulink>.
+ <ulink url="http://www.privoxy.org/user-manual/">User Manual</ulink>.
</para>
</sect2>
<sect2 renderas="sect3" id="notused">
<title>I get a <quote>Privoxy is not being used</quote> dummy page although
-<application>Privoxy</application> is running and being used.</title>
+Privoxy is running and being used.</title>
<para>
First, make sure that Privoxy is <emphasis>really</emphasis> running and
should see the <application>Privoxy</application> main page. If not, see
the <ulink url="http://www.privoxy.org/user-manual/startup.html">chapter
on starting <application>Privoxy</application></ulink> in the
- <ulink url="http://www.privoxy.org/user-manual/">user manual</ulink>.
+ <ulink url="http://www.privoxy.org/user-manual/">User Manual</ulink>.
</para>
<para>
<sect2 renderas="sect3" id="getupdates"><title>Where can I get updated Actions Files?</title>
<para>
- Based on your feedback and the continuing development, updated actions files will be
- made available on the <ulink
+ Based on your feedback and the continuing development, updates of
+ <filename>default.action</filename> will be
+ made available from time to time on the <ulink
url="http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=11118">files section</ulink> of
our <ulink url="http://sf.net/projects/ijbswa/">project page</ulink>.
</para>
throughout the 3.x series. Although each release contains updated,
<quote>improved</quote> versions and it is recommended to use the newer
configuration files.
+ <![%p-newstuff;[
+ If upgrading from version prior to 3.0.4 the syntax for <literal>fast-redirects</literal>
+ has changed. See the <ulink url="../user-manual/whatsnew.html">What's New section</ulink>
+ of the <citetitle>User Manual</citetitle> for details.]]>
</para>
<para>
But all configuration files have substantially
versions of <application>Privoxy 2.x</application>. The old files, like
<filename>blocklist</filename> will not work at all.
</para>
- <para>
+ <![%p-newstuff;[ <para>
Refer to the <ulink url="../user-manual/whatsnew.html">What's New</ulink>
page for information on configuration changes that may occur from one release to another.
- </para>
+ </para>]]>
</sect2>
<sect2 renderas="sect3">
-<title id="actionsfile">What is an <quote>actions</quote> file?</title>
+<title id="actionsfile">What exactly is an <quote>actions</quote> file?</title>
<para>
<ulink url="../user-manual/actions-file.html">Actions files</ulink>
for single URLs, whole web sites, groups or parts thereof etc. Actions can also be
grouped together and then applied to requests matching one or more patterns.
There are many possible actions that might apply to any given site. As an example,
- if you are blocking cookies as one of your default actions, but need to accept
- cookies from a given site, you would need to define an exception for this
- site in one of your actions files, preferably in <filename>user.action</filename>.
+ if you are blocking <ulink url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Browser_cookie">cookies</ulink>
+ as one of your default actions, but need to accept cookies from a given site,
+ you would need to define an exception for this site in one of your actions
+ files, preferably in <filename>user.action</filename>.
</para>
</sect2>
to make their private customizations, and <filename>standard.action</filename>,
which is for internal <application>Privoxy</application> use only.
Please see <ulink url="../user-manual/actions-file.html">the actions chapter</ulink>
- in the <ulink url="../user-manual/index.html">user manual</ulink> for a more
+ in the <ulink url="../user-manual/index.html">User Manual</ulink> for a more
detailed explanation.
</para>
<sect2 renderas="sect3" id="yahoo"><title>How can I make my Yahoo/Hotmail/Gmail account work?</title>
<para>
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
+ It will, however, make all <ulink
+ url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Browser_cookie">cookies</ulink>
+ temporary, so that your browser will forget your
login credentials in between browser sessions. If you would like not to have to log
in manually each time you access those websites, simply turn off all cookie handling
for them in the <filename>user.action</filename> file. An example for yahoo might
{ -<ulink url="../user-manual/actions-file.html#CRUNCH-INCOMING-COOKIES">crunch-incoming-cookies</ulink> -<ulink url="../user-manual/actions-file.html#CRUNCH-OUTGOING-COOKIES">crunch-outgoing-cookies</ulink> -<ulink url="../user-manual/actions-file.html#SESSION-COOKIES-ONLY">session-cookies-only</ulink> }
.login.yahoo.com</screen>
</para>
+ <para>
+ These kinds of sites are often quite complex and heavy with
+ <ulink url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Javascript">Javascript</ulink> and
+ thus <quote>fragile</quote>. So if <emphasis>still</emphasis> a problem,
+ we have an <ulink
+ url="../user-manual/actions-file.html#ALIASES">alias</ulink> just for such
+ sticky situations:
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ <screen># Gmail is a _fragile_ site:
+#
+{ <literal>fragile</literal> }
+ mail.google.com</screen>
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ Be sure to flush your browser's caches whenever making these kinds of
+ changes, just to make sure the changes <quote>take</quote>.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ Make sure the domain, host and path are appropriate as well. Your browser can
+ tell you where you are specifically and you should use that information for
+ your configuration settings. Note that above it is not referenced as
+ <literal>gmail.com</literal>, which is a valid domain name.
+ </para>
</sect2>
<sect2 renderas="sect3" id="configfiles"> <title>What's the difference between the
-<quote>Cautious</quote>, <quote>Medium</quote> and <quote>Adventuresome</quote> defaults?</title>
+<quote>Cautious</quote>, <quote>Medium</quote> and <quote>Advanced</quote> defaults?</title>
<para>
Configuring <application>Privoxy</application> is not entirely trivial. To
help you get started, we provide you with three different default action
general, the more aggressive your default settings are, the more exceptions
you will have to make later. See the <ulink
url="../user-manual/index.html"><citetitle>User Manual</citetitle></ulink>
- for a more deatiled discussion.
+ for a more detailed discussion.
</para>
<para>
- It should be noted that the <quote>Adventuresome</quote> profile (formerly known
- as the <quote>Advanced</quote> profile) is not only more
- aggressive, but also includes fun and, extreme usage of most of
- <application>Privoxy's</application> features. Use at your own risk!
+ It should be noted that the <quote>Advanced</quote> profile (formerly known
+ as the <quote>Adventuresome</quote> profile) is more
+ aggressive, and will make use of some of
+ <application>Privoxy's</application> advanced features. Use at your own risk!
</para>
</sect2>
If you are familiar with regular expressions, and HTML, you can look at
the provided <filename>default.filter</filename> with a text editor and define
your own filters. This is potentially a very powerful feature, but
- requires some expertise in both regular expressions and HTML/HTTP. You should
+ requires some expertise in both regular expressions and HTML/HTTP.
+ <![%p-newstuff;[ You should
place any modifications to the default filters, or any new ones you create
in a separate file, such as <filename>user.filter</filename>, so they won't
- be overwritten during upgrades. The ability to define multiple filter files
- in <filename>config</filename> is a new feature as of v. 3.0.4.
+ be overwritten during upgrades.
+ The ability to define multiple filter files
+ in <filename>config</filename> is a new feature as of v. 3.0.5.]]>
</para>
<para>
</sect2>
<sect2 renderas="sect3">
-<title id="lanconfig">How can I set up <application>Privoxy</application> to act as a proxy for my
+<title id="lanconfig">How can I set up Privoxy to act as a proxy for my
LAN?</title>
<para>
By default, <application>Privoxy</application> only responds to requests
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
helpful in case some navigation aid or otherwise innocent image was
- erraneously blocked. Some people might also enjoy seeing how many banners
+ erroneously blocked. Some people might also enjoy seeing how many banners
they <emphasis>don't</emphasis> have to see..
</para>
<sect2 renderas="sect3" id="srvany">
-<title>Can <application>Privoxy</application> run as a service
+<title>Can Privoxy run as a service
on Win2K/NT/XP?</title>
<para>
- Yes. Version 3.0.4 introduces full <application>Windows</application> service
+<![%p-newstuff;[
+ Yes. Version 3.0.5 introduces full <application>Windows</application> service
functionality. See <ulink url="../user-manual/installation.html#installation-pack-win">
the User Manual</ulink> for details on how to install and configure
<application>Privoxy</application> as a service.
-</para>
+</para>
<para>
- Earlier versions could run as a system service using <command>srvany.exe</command>.
+ Earlier ]]>3.x versions could run as a system service using <command>srvany.exe</command>.
See the discussion at <ulink
url="http://sourceforge.net/tracker/?func=detail&atid=361118&aid=485617&group_id=11118">http://sourceforge.net/tracker/?func=detail&atid=361118&aid=485617&group_id=11118</ulink>,
for details, and a sample configuration.
<sect2 renderas="sect3" id="otherproxy">
-<title>How can I make <application>Privoxy</application> work with other
-proxies like <application>Squid</application> or <application>Tor</application>?</title>
+<title>How can I make Privoxy work with other
+proxies like Squid or Tor?</title>
<para>
This can be done and is often useful to combine the benefits of
<application>Privoxy</application> with those of a another proxy.
See the <ulink
url="../user-manual/config.html#FORWARDING">forwarding chapter</ulink>
- in the <ulink url="../user-manual/index.html">user manual</ulink> which
- describes how to do this.
+ in the <ulink url="../user-manual/index.html">User Manual</ulink> which
+ describes how to do this, and the <link linkend="TOR">
+ How do I use Privoxy together with
+ Tor</link> section below.
</para>
</sect2>
<sect2 renderas="sect3" id="port-80">
-<title>Can I just set <application>Privoxy</application> to use port 80
+<title>Can I just set Privoxy to use port 80
and thus avoid individual browser configuration?</title>
<para>
</sect2>
<sect2 renderas="sect3" id="transparent">
-<title>Can <application>Privoxy</application> run as a <quote>transparent
+<title>Can Privoxy run as a <quote>transparent
</quote> proxy?</title>
<para>
No, <application>Privoxy</application> currently does not have this ability,
this ability should work though.
See the <ulink
url="../user-manual/config.html#FORWARDING">forwarding chapter</ulink>
- in the <ulink url="../user-manual/index.html">user manual</ulink>. As
+ in the <ulink url="../user-manual/index.html">User Manual</ulink>. As
a transparent proxy to be used for chaining we recommend Transproxy
(<ulink url="http://transproxy.sourceforge.net/">http://transproxy.sourceforge.net/</ulink>).
</para>
</sect2>
<sect2 renderas="sect3" id="outlook">
-<title>How can I configure <application>Privoxy</application> for use with <application>Outlook
- Express</application>?</title>
+<title>How can I configure Privoxy for use with Outlook
+ Express?</title>
<para>
<application>Outlook Express</application> uses <application>Internet Explorer</application>
components to both render HTML, and fetch any HTTP requests that may be embedded in an HTML email.
</para>
</sect2>
+<sect2 renderas="sect3" id="sneaky-cookies">
+<title>I sometimes notice cookies sneaking through. How?</title>
+<para>
+ <ulink
+ url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Browser_cookie">Cookies</ulink> can be
+ set in several ways. The classic method is via the
+ <literal>Set-Cookie</literal> HTTP header. This is straightforward, and an
+ easy one to manipulate, such as the &my-app; concept of
+ <ulink url="../user-manual/actions-file.html#SESSION-COOKIES-ONLY">session-cookies-only</ulink>.
+ There is also the possibility of using
+ <ulink url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Javascript">Javascript</ulink> to
+ set cookies (&my-app; calls these <literal>content-cookies</literal>). This
+ is trickier because the syntax can vary widely, and thus requires a certain
+ amount of guesswork. It is not realistic to catch all of these short of
+ disabling Javascript, which would break many sites. And lastly, if the
+ cookies are embedded in a HTTPS/SSL secure session via Javascript, they are beyond
+ <application>Privoxy's</application> reach.
+</para>
+<para>
+ All in all, &my-app; can help manage cookies in general, can help minimize
+ the loss of privacy posed by cookies, but can't realistically stop all
+ cookies.
+</para>
+</sect2>
+
+<sect2 renderas="sect3" id="evil-cookies">
+<title>Are all cookies bad? Why?</title>
+<para>
+ No, in fact there are many beneficial uses of
+ <ulink
+ url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Browser_cookie">cookies</ulink>. Cookies are just a
+ method that browsers can use to store data between pages, or between browser
+ sessions. Sometimes there is a good reason for this, and the user's life is a
+ bit easier as a result. But there is a long history of some websites taking
+ advantage of this layer of trust, and using the data they glean from you and
+ your browsing habits for their own purposes, and maybe to your potential
+ detriment. Such sites are using you and storing their data on your system.
+ That is why the security conscious watch from whom those cookies come, and why
+ they really <emphasis>need</emphasis> to be there.
+</para>
+<para>
+ See the
+ <ulink url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Browser_cookie">Wikipedia cookie
+ definition</ulink> for more.
+</para>
+</sect2>
+
<sect2 renderas="sect3" id="allow-cookies">
<title>How can I allow permanent cookies for my trusted sites?</title>
</sect2>
<sect2 renderas="sect3" id="whitelists">
-<title>Can I set-up <application>Privoxy</application> as a whitelist of
+<title>Can I set-up Privoxy as a whitelist of
<quote>good</quote> sites?</title>
<para>
Sure. There are a couple of things you can do for simple whitelisting.
############################################################
# Blacklist
############################################################
- { +block }
+ { <ulink url="../user-manual/actions-file.html#BLOCK">+block</ulink> }
/ # Block *all* URLs
############################################################
# Whitelist
############################################################
- { -block }
+ { <ulink url="../user-manual/actions-file.html#BLOCK">-block</ulink> }
kids.example.com
toys.example.com
games.example.com</screen>
<sect1 id="misc"><title>Miscellaneous</title>
<sect2 renderas="sect3">
-<title id="slowsme">How much does <application>Privoxy</application> slow my browsing down? This
+<title id="slowsme">How much does Privoxy slow my browsing down? This
has to add extra time to browsing.</title>
<para>
How much of an impact depends on many things, including the CPU of the host
- system, how agressive the configuration is, which specific actions are being triggered,
+ system, how aggressive the configuration is, which specific actions are being triggered,
the size of the page, etc.
</para>
<para>
Overall, it should not slow you down any in real terms, and may actually help
- speed things up since ads, banners and other junk are not typically being displayed.
- The actual processing time required by <application>Privoxy</application>
- itself for each page, is relatively small in the overall scheme of things,
- and happens very quickly. This is typically more than offset by time saved
- not downloading and rendering ad images (if ad blocking is being used).
+ speed things up since ads, banners and other junk are not typically being
+ retrieved and displayed. The actual processing time required by
+ <application>Privoxy</application> itself for each page, is relatively small
+ in the overall scheme of things, and happens very quickly. This is typically
+ more than offset by time saved not downloading and rendering ad images (if ad
+ blocking is being used).
</para>
<para>
</para>
</sect2>
-<sect2 renderas="sect3" id="slowcrawl">
-<title>I just installed <application>Privoxy</application>, and all my
-browsing has slowed to a crawl. What gives? </title>
-<para>
- This should not happen, and for the overwhelming number of users world-wide,
- it does not happen. I would suspect some inadvertent interaction of software
- components such as anti-virus software, spyware protectors, personal
- firewalls or similar components. Try disabling (or uninstalling) these one
- at a time and see if that helps.
-</para>
-</sect2>
-
<sect2 renderas="sect3" id="configurl"><title>What are "http://config.privoxy.org/" and
"http://p.p/"?</title>
<para>
<para>
Rest assured that it has been read and considered. Why it is not answered,
could be for various reasons, including no one has a good answer for it, no
-one has had time to yet investigate it thorougly, it has been reported
+one has had time to yet investigate it thoroughly, it has been reported
numerous times already, or because not enough information was provided to help
us help you. Your efforts are not wasted, and we do appreciate them.
</para>
with <ulink url="http://tor.eff.org/">Tor</ulink>,
an <ulink url="http://www.eff.org/">EFF</ulink> supported onion routing system.
The configuration details can be found in
- <ulink url="#TOR">How do I use <application>Privoxy</application> together with <application>Tor</application>?</ulink>.
+ <ulink url="#TOR">How do I use <application>Privoxy</application> together with <application>Tor</application> section</ulink>
+ just below.
</para>
<!--
<para>
</sect2>
<sect2 renderas="sect3">
-<title id="anonforsure">Can <application>Privoxy</application> guarantee I am anonymous?</title>
+<title id="anonforsure">Can Privoxy guarantee I am anonymous?</title>
<para>
No. Your chances of remaining anonymous are greatly improved, but unless you
<ulink url="#TOR">chain <application>Privoxy</application> with <application>Tor</application></ulink>
</sect2>
-<sect2 renderas="sect3" id="tor"><title>How do I use <application>Privoxy</application>
- together with <application>Tor</application>?</title>
+<sect2 renderas="sect3">
+<title id="proxytest">A test site says I am not using a Proxy.</title>
+<para>
+ Good! Actually, they are probably testing for some other kinds of proxies.
+ Hiding yourself completely would require additional steps.
+</para>
+</sect2>
+
+<sect2 renderas="sect3" id="tor"><title>How do I use Privoxy
+ together with Tor?</title>
<para>
Before you configure <application>Privoxy</application> to use <application>Tor</application>
(<ulink url="http://tor.eff.org/">http://tor.eff.org/</ulink>),
extensive documentation</ulink> to learn how to install <application>Tor</application>,
and make sure <application>Tor</application>'s logfile says that
<quote>Tor has successfully opened a circuit</quote> and it
- <quote>[l]ooks like client functionality is working</quote>.
+ <quote>looks like client functionality is working</quote>.
</para>
<para>
If either <application>Tor</application> or <application>Privoxy</application>
to make sure <application>Privoxy's</application> DNS requests are
done through <application>Tor</application> and thus invisible to your local network.
</para>
+
+<![%p-newstuff;[
<para>
- Since <application>Privoxy</application> 3.0.4, its configuration (section 5.2)
+ Since <application>Privoxy</application> 3.0.5, its configuration (section 5.2)
is already prepared for <application>Tor</application>, if you are using a
default <application>Tor</application> configuration and run it on the same
- system as Privoxy, you just have to uncomment the line:
+ system as &my-app;, you just have to uncomment the line:
</para>
<para>
<screen>
</screen>
</para>
<para>
- This is enough to reach the internet, but additionally you should
+ This is enough to reach the Internet, but additionally you should
uncomment the following forward rules, to make sure your local network is still
reachable through Privoxy:
</para>
Faq 4.2</ulink> to learn how to verify that you are really using <application>Tor</application>.
</para>
<para>
- Afterwards, please take the time to at least skim through the rest
+ Afterward, please take the time to at least skim through the rest
of <application>Tor's</application> documentation. Make sure you understand
what <application>Tor</application> does, why it is no replacement for
application level security, and why you shouldn't use it for unencrypted logins.
-</para>
+</para> ]]>
</sect2>
<sect2 renderas="sect3">
<sect2 renderas="sect3">
-<title id="caching">Can <application>Privoxy</application> act as a <quote>caching</quote> proxy to
+<title id="caching">Can Privoxy act as a <quote>caching</quote> proxy to
speed up web browsing?</title>
<para>
No, it does not have this ability at all. You want something like
</sect2>
<sect2 renderas="sect3">
-<title id="firewall">What about as a firewall? Can <application>Privoxy</application> protect me?</title>
+<title id="firewall">What about as a firewall? Can Privoxy protect me?</title>
<para>
Not in the way you mean, or in the way a true firewall can.
<application>Privoxy</application> can help protect your privacy, but not
</sect2>
<sect2 renderas="sect3">
-<title id="ssl">How can <application>Privoxy</application> filter Secure (HTTPS) URLs?</title>
+<title id="ssl">How can Privoxy filter Secure (HTTPS) URLs?</title>
<para>
Since secure HTTP connections are encrypted SSL sessions between your browser
and the secure site, and are meant to be reliably <emphasis>secure</emphasis>,
</sect2>
<sect2 renderas="sect3">
-<title id="secure"><application>Privoxy</application> runs as a <quote>server</quote>. How
+<title id="secure">Privoxy runs as a <quote>server</quote>. How
secure is it? Do I need to take any special precautions?</title>
<para>
There are no known exploits that might affect
</sect2>
<sect2 renderas="sect3" id="turnoff">
-<title>How can I temporarily disable <application>Privoxy</application>?</title>
+<title>How can I temporarily disable Privoxy?</title>
<para>
The easiest way is to access <application>Privoxy</application> with your
browser by using the remote toggle URL: <ulink
</sect2>
<sect2 renderas="sect3" id="reallyoff">
-<title>When <quote>disabled</quote> is <application>Privoxy</application> totally
+<title>When <quote>disabled</quote> is Privoxy totally
out of the picture?</title>
<para>
No, this just means all filtering and actions are disabled.
</sect2>
<sect2 renderas="sect3" id="crunch">
-<title>My logs show <application>Privoxy</application> <quote>crunches</quote>
+<title>My logs show Privoxy <quote>crunches</quote>
ads, but also its own internal CGI pages. What is a <quote>crunch</quote>?</title>
<para>
A <quote>crunch</quote> simply means <application>Privoxy</application> intercepted
</sect2>
<sect2 renderas="sect3" id="downloads">
-<title>Can <application>Privoxy</application> effect files that I download
+<title>Can Privoxy effect files that I download
from a webserver? FTP server?</title>
<para>
From the webserver's perspective, there is no difference between
Filtering is potentially more of a concern since the results are not always
so obvious, and the effects of filtering are there whether the file is simply
viewed, or downloaded. And potentially whether the content is some obnoxious
- advertizement, or Mr. Jimmy's latest/greatest source code jewel. Of course,
+ advertisement, or Mr. Jimmy's latest/greatest source code jewel. Of course,
one of these presumably is <quote>bad</quote> content that we don't want, and
the other is <quote>good</quote> content that we do want.
<application>Privoxy</application> is blind to the differences, and can only
</para>
<para>
<application>Privoxy</application> does not do FTP at all, only HTTP
- protocols, so please don't try.
+ and HTTPS (SSL) protocols, so please don't try.
</para>
</sect2>
<sect2 renderas="sect3" id="downloads2">
-<title>I just downloaded a Perl script, and <application>Privoxy</application>
+<title>I just downloaded a Perl script, and Privoxy
altered it! Yikes, what is wrong!</title>
<para>
Please read above.
</sect2>
<sect2 renderas="sect3" id="seealso">
-<title>Where can I find more information about <application>Privoxy</application>
+<title>Where can I find more information about Privoxy
and related issues?</title>
<!-- Include seealso.sgml boilerplate: -->
&seealso;
is clearly labeled <quote>Text replacements for subversive browsing
fun!</quote> or you are using an older Privoxy version and have implicitly
activated it by choosing the <quote>Adventuresome</quote> profile in the
- web-based editor.
+ web-based editor. Please upgrade!
</para>
</sect2>
<para>
Either <application>Privoxy</application> is not running, or your
browser is configured for a different port than what
- <application>Privoxy</application> is using.
+ <application>Privoxy</application> is using, or, if using a forwarding
+ rule, you have a configuration problem or a problem with a host in the
+ forwarding chain.
+
</para>
<para>
- Early <application>Privoxy</application> 2.x versions (and also
- <application>Junkbuster</application>) used port 8000 by
- default. This has been changed to port 8118 now, due to a conflict
- with NAS (Network Audio Service), which uses port 8000. If you haven't,
- you need to change your browser to the new port number, or alternately
- change the <ulink
+ You should verify that &my-app; is indeed running and that the correct port is set,
+ and matches what your browser is set to. See <ulink
url="../user-manual/config.html#LISTEN-ADDRESS"><literal>listen-address</literal>
option</ulink> in <application>Privoxy's</application> <ulink
- url="../user-manual/config.html">main configuration file</ulink>.
+ url="../user-manual/config.html">main configuration file</ulink>. If using
+ any forwarding rules, disable those to make sure the problem is not with
+ a forwarder.
</para>
</sect2>
</sect2>
<sect2 id="badsite" renderas="sect3">
-<title >One of my favorite sites does not work with <application>Privoxy</application>.
+<title >One of my favorite sites does not work with Privoxy.
What can I do?</title>
<para>
</para>
<para>
Troubleshooting actions is discussed in more detail in the <ulink
- url="../user-manual/appendix.html#ACTIONSANAT">user-manual appendix</ulink>.
+ url="../user-manual/appendix.html#ACTIONSANAT">User Manual appendix,
+ Troubleshooting: the Anatomy of an Action</ulink>.
There is also an <ulink
- url="../user-manual/actions-file.html#ACT-EXAMPLES">actions tutorial</ulink>.
+ url="../user-manual/actions-file.html#ACT-EXAMPLES">actions tutorial</ulink>
+ with general configuration information and examples.
</para>
</sect2>
<!-- ~~~~~ New section ~~~~~ -->
<sect2 id="dun" renderas="sect3">
-<title>After installing <application>Privoxy</application>, I have to log in
+<title>After installing Privoxy, I have to log in
every time I start IE. What gives?</title>
<para>
<!-- ~~~~~ New section ~~~~~ -->
<sect2 id="ftp" renderas="sect3">
-<title>I cannot connect to any FTP sites. <application>Privoxy</application>
- seems to be blocking me.</title>
+<title>I cannot connect to any FTP sites. Privoxy
+ is blocking me.</title>
<para>
<application>Privoxy</application> cannot act as a proxy for FTP traffic,
so do not configure your browser to use <application>Privoxy</application>
as an FTP proxy. The same is true for <emphasis>any protocol other than HTTP
- or HTTPS</emphasis>.
+ or HTTPS (SSL)</emphasis>.
</para>
<para>
Most browsers understand FTP as well as HTTP. If you connect to a site, with
</para>
<para>
To complicate matters, some systems may have a generic <quote>proxy</quote>
- setting, which will silently various protocols, including
+ setting, which will silently enable various protocols, including
<emphasis>both</emphasis> HTTP and FTP proxying! So it is possible to
accidentally enable FTP proxying in these cases. And of course, if this
happens, <application>Privoxy</application> will indeed cause problems since
- it does not know FTP. Newer version will give a sane error message if a FTP
- connection is attempted.
+ it does not know FTP. <![%p-newstuff;[Newer version will give a sane error
+ message if a FTP connection is attempted.]]> Just disable the FTP setting
+ and all will be well again.
</para>
<para>
Will <application>Privoxy</application> ever proxy FTP traffic? Unlikely.
<!-- ~~~~~ New section ~~~~~ -->
<sect2 id="osxie" renderas="sect3">
<title>In Mac OSX, I can't configure Microsoft Internet Explorer to use
- <application>Privoxy</application> as the HTTP proxy.</title>
+ Privoxy as the HTTP proxy.</title>
<para>
Microsoft Internet Explorer (in versions like 5.1) respects system-wide
network settings. In order to change the HTTP proxy, open System
<sect2 renderas="sect3" id="blankpage">
<title>I get a completely blank page at one site. <quote>View Source</quote>
shows only: <markup><![CDATA[<html><body></body></html>]]></markup>. Without
- <application>Privoxy</application> the page loads fine.</title>
+ Privoxy the page loads fine.</title>
<para>
Chances are that the site suffers from a bug in
<ulink url="http://www.php.net/"><application>PHP</application></ulink>,
result in a much slower response from <application>Privoxy</application> on
some platforms due to DNS timeouts.
</para>
+<para>
+ This can be caused by a problem with the local <filename>HOSTS</filename>
+ file. If this file has been changed from the original, try reverting it to
+ see if that helps.
+</para>
</sect2>
<sect2 renderas="sect3" id="inuse">
-<title>When I try to launch <application>Privoxy</application>, I get an
+<title>When I try to launch Privoxy, I get an
error message <quote>port 8118 is already in use</quote> (or similar wording).
Why?</title>
<para>
<sect2 renderas="sect3" id="demoronizer2">
<title>
- Why are binary files (such as images) corrupted when <application>Privoxy</application>
+ Why are binary files (such as images) corrupted when Privoxy
is used?
</title>
<para>
</title>
<para>
<application>Privoxy</application> is attempting to disable malicious
- Javascript in this case, with the <literal>unsolicited-popups</literal>
+ <ulink url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Javascript">Javascript</ulink>
+ in this case, with the <literal>unsolicited-popups</literal>
filter. <application>Privoxy</application> cannot tell very well
<quote>good</quote> code snippets from <quote>bad</quote> code snippets.
</para>
<sect2 renderas="sect3" id="dnserrors">
<title>
I am getting too many DNS errors like <quote>404 No Such Domain</quote>. Why
- can't <application>Privoxy</application> do this better?
+ can't Privoxy do this better?
</title>
<para>
There are potentially several factors here. First of all, the DNS resolution
merely initiates the process and hands it off, and then later reports
whatever the outcome was. And tries to give a coherent message if there seems
to be a problem. In some cases, this might otherwise be mitigated by the
- browser itself which might try some work-arounds and alernate approaches (e.g
+ browser itself which might try some work-arounds and alternate approaches (e.g
adding <quote>www.</quote> to the URL). In other cases, if
<application>Privoxy</application> is being chained with another proxy, this
could complicate the issue, and cause undue
the <quote>messenger</quote> which is reporting whatever problem occurred
downstream, and not the root cause of the error.
</para>
+<![%p-newstuff;[
<para>
- In any case, v. 3.0.4 includes various improvements to help
+ In any case, v. 3.0.5 includes various improvements to help
<application>Privoxy</application> better handle these cases.
-</para>
+</para>]]>
</sect2>
<sect2 renderas="sect3" id="allcpu">
<title>
- At one site <application>Privoxy</application> just hangs, and starts taking
+ At one site Privoxy just hangs, and starts taking
all CPU. Why is this?
</title>
<para>
</para>
</sect2>
+<sect2 renderas="sect3" id="slowcrawl">
+<title>I just installed Privoxy, and all my
+browsing has slowed to a crawl. What gives? </title>
+<para>
+ This should not happen, and for the overwhelming number of users world-wide,
+ it does not happen. I would suspect some inadvertent interaction of software
+ components such as anti-virus software, spyware protectors, personal
+ firewalls or similar components. Try disabling (or uninstalling) these one
+ at a time and see if that helps.
+</para>
+</sect2>
</sect1>
The GNU General Public License should be included with
this file. If not, you can view it at
http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html
- or write to the Free Software Foundation, Inc., 59
- Temple Place - Suite 330, Boston, MA 02111-1307, USA.
+ or write to the Free Software Foundation, Inc.,
+ 51 Franklin Street, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA 02110-1301, USA
$Log: faq.sgml,v $
+Revision 2.18 2006/09/22 01:27:55 hal9
+Final commit of probably various minor changes here and there. Unless
+something changes this should be ready for pending release.
+
+Revision 2.17 2006/09/17 14:56:32 hal9
+This includes yet several more new FAQs, some improved wording, enhanced
+mark-up, various hyper links to wikipedia to explain key terminology to the
+uninitiated, etc. This is ready for release IMO pending final tagging of cvs
+and Privoxy version stamping.
+
+Revision 2.16 2006/09/10 15:30:46 hal9
+Spell check.
+
+Revision 2.15 2006/09/08 23:05:07 hal9
+Fix broken links. Add faq on hosts files. Move most of new windows service
+feature to user manual and reference in faq. Various other small changes.
+
Revision 2.14 2006/09/05 13:25:12 david__schmidt
Add Windows service invocation stuff (duplicated) in FAQ and in user manual under Windows startup. One probably ought to reference the other.
projects / privoxy.git / blobdiff