This file belongs into
ijbswa.sourceforge.net:/home/groups/i/ij/ijbswa/htdocs/
- $Id: faq.sgml,v 1.11 2002/03/11 18:42:27 swa Exp $
+ $Id: faq.sgml,v 1.15 2002/03/17 07:25:59 hal9 Exp $
Written by and Copyright (C) 2001 the SourceForge
IJBSWA team. http://ijbswa.sourceforge.net
<artheader>
<title>Junkbuster Frequently Asked Questions</title>
-<pubdate>$Id: faq.sgml,v 1.11 2002/03/11 18:42:27 swa Exp $</pubdate>
+<pubdate>$Id: faq.sgml,v 1.15 2002/03/17 07:25:59 hal9 Exp $</pubdate>
<authorgroup>
<author>
<!-- ~~~~~ New section ~~~~~ -->
+
+<!--
<sect1 id="introduction"><title>Introduction</title>
<para>
Fillme.
</para>
</sect1>
-
+-->
<!-- ~~~~~ New section ~~~~~ -->
<sect1 id="questions"><title>Frequently Asked Questions</title>
+<!-- ~~~~~ New section ~~~~~ -->
+
+<sect2 id="general"><title>General Information</title>
+
+<sect3 id="newjb"><title>What is this new version of <application>Junkbuster</application>?</title>
+ <para>
+ The original <application>Internet Junkbuster</application> (tm) is a
+ coyrighted product of <ulink url="http://www.junkbusters.com">Junkbusters
+ Corporation</ulink>. Development of this effort stopped some time ago as of
+ version 2.0.2. Stefan Walherr started the ijbswa project on <ulink
+ url="http://ijbswa.sourceforge.net">Sourceforge</ulink> to rekindle
+ development. Other developers subsequently joined with Stefan, and have
+ since added many new features, refinements and enhancements.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ The new <application>Junkbuster</application> started with the same
+ code base, but has changed significantly at this point.
+ </para>
+
+</sect3>
+
+<sect3 id="differs"><title>How does it differ from the old <application>Junkbuster?</application></title>
+ <para>
+ All the old features remain. The new <application>Junkbuster</application>
+ still blocks ads and banners, still manages cookies, and still helps protect
+ your privacy. But, these are all enhanced, and many new features have been
+ added, all in the same vein.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ The configuration has changed significantly as well. This is something that
+ users will notice right off the bat. The <quote>blocklist</quote> file does
+ not exist any more. This is replaced by <quote>actions</quote> files, such
+ as <filename>ijb.actions</filename>. This is where most of the per site
+ configuration is now.
+
+ </para>
+</sect3>
+
+<sect3 id="features"><title>What are some of the new features?</title>
+<!--
+ The section is in both user-manual and faq. Please keep in sync!!!
+-->
+<para>
+ <itemizedlist>
+
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ Integrated browser based configuration and control utility (<ulink
+ url="http://i.j.b">http://i.j.b</ulink>). Browser-based tracing of rule
+ and filter effects.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+<!--
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ Modularized configuration that will allow for system wide settings, and
+ individual user settings. (not implemented yet, probably a 3.1 feature)
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+-->
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ Blocking of annoying pop-up browser windows.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ HTTP/1.1 compliant (most, but not all 1.1 features are supported).
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ Support for Perl Compatible Regular Expressions in the configuration files, and
+ generally a more sophisticated and flexible configuration syntax over
+ previous versions.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ GIF de-animation.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ Web page content filtering (removes banners based on size,
+ invisible <quote>web-bugs</quote>, JavaScript, pop-ups, status bar abuse,
+ etc.)
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ Bypass many click-tracking scripts (avoids script redirection).
+
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ Multi-threaded (POSIX and native threads).
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ Auto-detection and re-reading of config file changes.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ User-customizable HTML templates (e.g. 404 error page).
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ Improved cookie management features (e.g. session based cookies).
+ </para>
+</listitem>
+
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ Builds from source on most UNIX-like systems. Packages available for: Linux
+ (RedHat, SuSE, or Debian), Windows, Sun Solaris, Mac OSX, OS/2, HP-UX 11 and AmigaOS.
+
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ In addition, the configuration is much more powerful and versatile over-all.
+ </para>
+</listitem>
+
+ </itemizedlist>
+</para>
+
+</sect3>
+
+<sect3 id="proxymoron"><title>What is a <quote>proxy</quote>? How does
+<application>Junkbuster</application> work? </title>
+ <para>
+ When you connect to a web site with <application>Junkbuster</application>,
+ you are really connecting to your locally running version of
+ <application>Junkbuster</application>. <application>Junkbuster</application>
+ intercepts your requests for the web page, and relays that to the
+ <quote>real</quote> web site. The web site sends the HTTP data stream
+ back to <application>Junkbuster</application>, where
+ <application>Junkbuster</application> can work its magic before it
+ relays this data back to your web browser.
+
+ </para>
+
+ <para>
+ Since <application>Junkbuster</application> sits between you and the
+ WWW, it is in a position to intercept and completely manage all web traffic and
+ HTTP content before it gets to your browser.
+ <application>Junkbuster</application> uses various programming methods to do
+ this, all of which is under your control via the various configuration
+ files and options.
+
+ </para>
+</sect3>
+
+<sect3 id="browsers2"><title>My browser does the same things as
+Junkbuster. Why should I use Junkbuster at all?</title>
+ <para>
+ Modern browsers do indeed have <emphasis>some</emphasis> of the same
+ functionality as <application>Junkbuster</application>. Maybe this is
+ adequate for you. But <application>Junkbuster</application> is much more
+ verstatile and powerful, and can do a number of things that browsers just can't.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ In addition, a proxy is good choice if you use multiple browsers, or
+ have a LAN with multiple computers. This way all the configuration
+ is in one place, and you don't have to maintain a similar configuration
+ for possibly many browsers.
+
+ </para>
+</sect3>
+
+
+
+<sect3 id="license"><title>Is there is a license or fee? What about a
+warranty? Registration?</title>
+ <para>
+ <application>Junkbuster</application> is licensed under the
+ GNU General Public License (GPL). It is free to use, copy,
+ modify or distribute as you wish under the terms of this license.
+ See <ulink
+ url="http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html">http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html</ulink>
+ for specifics.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ There is no warranty of any kind, expressed, implied or otherwise. That is
+ something that would cost real money ;-) There is no registration either.
+ <application>Junkbuster</application> really is <emphasis>free</emphasis>
+ in every respect!
+
+ </para>
+</sect3>
+
+</sect2>
+
+
<!-- ~~~~~ New section ~~~~~ -->
<sect2 id="installation"><title>Installation</title>
+<sect3 id="newinstall"><title>Can I install the new
+ <application>Junkbuster</application> over the old one?</title>
<para>
- Fillme.
+ We recommend you uninstall the old <application>Junkbuster</application>
+ first to minimize conflicts and confusion. You may want to
+ save your old configuration files for future reference. The configuration
+ is substantially changed.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ See the user-manual for platform specific installation instructions.
+ [FIXME: This is meant for after the name change!]
+ </para>
+
+</sect3>
+
+<sect3>
+<title id="nothing">I just installed Junkbuster, and nothing is happening.
+All the ads are there. What's wrong?</title>
+
+<para>
+ Did you configure your browser to use <application>Junkbuster</application>
+ as a proxy? It does not sound like it. See below. You might also try flushing
+ the browser's caches to force a full re-reading of pages.
+
+</para>
+
+</sect3>
+
+<sect3 id="localhost"><title>What is the proxy address of Junkbuster?</title>
+ <para>
+ If you set up the <application>Junkbuster</application> to run on
+ the computer you browse from (rather than your ISP's server or some
+ networked computer on a LAN), the proxy will be on <quote>localhost</quote>
+ (which is the special name used by every computer on the Internet to refer
+ to itself) and the port will be 8118 (unless you have told the Internet
+ Junkbuster to run on a different port with the
+ <emphasis>listen-address</emphasis> config option).
</para>
+ <para>
+ When configuring your browser's proxy settings you typically enter
+ the word <quote>localhost</quote> in the boxes next to <quote>HTTP</quote>
+ and <quote>Secure</quote> (HTTPS) and then the number <quote>8118</quote>
+ for <quote>port</quote>. This tells your browser to send all web
+ requests to <quote>Junkbuster</quote> instead of directly to the
+ Interenet.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ <application>Junkbuster</application> can also be used to proxy for
+ a Local Area Network. In this case, your would enter either the IP
+ address of the LAN host where <application>Junkbuster</application>
+ is running, or the equivalent hostname. Port assignment would be
+ same as above.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ <application>Junkbuster</application> does not currently handle
+ protocols such as FTP, SMTP, IM, IRC, ICQ, or other Internet
+ protocols.
+ </para>
+</sect3>
+
</sect2>
+
<!-- ~~~~~ New section ~~~~~ -->
<sect2 id="configuration"><title>Configuration</title>
+<sect3 id="newconfig"><title>Can I use my old config files?</title>
+ <para>
+ No. These will not work. You will need to re-enter your old
+ data into the new configuration structure.
+ </para>
+</sect3>
+
+<!--
+FIXME: Commenting these out until we have some data there. HB 03/17/02.
+
<sect3 id="yahoo"><title>How can I make my Yahoo account work?</title>
<para>
Fillme.
Fillme.
</para>
</sect3>
+-->
<sect3 id="configfiles"> <title>What are the differences between
ijb-intermediate.action, ijb-basic.action, etc.?</title>
<!-- </para> -->
<!-- </sect3> -->
+<sect3>
+<title id="anonforsure">Can Junkbuster guarantee I am anonymous?</title>
+<para>
+ No. Your chances of remaining anonymous are greatly improved, but unless you
+ are an expert on Internet security it would be safest to assume that
+ everything you do on the Web can be traced back to you.
+</para>
+<para>
+ <application>Junkbuster</application> can remove various information about you,
+ and allows <emphasis>you</emphasis> more freedom to decide which sites
+ you can trust. But it's still possible that web sites can find out who you
+ are. Here's one way this can happen.
+</para>
+<para>
+ A few browsers disclose the user's email address in certain situations, such
+ as when transferring a file by FTP. <application>Junkbuster</application>
+ does not filter FTP. If you need this feature, or are concerned about the
+ mail handler of your browser disclosing your email address, you might
+ consider products such as <application>NSClean</application>.
+</para>
+<para>
+ Browsers available only as binaries could use non-standard headers to give
+ out any information they can have access to: see the manufacturer's license
+ agreement. It's impossible to anticipate and prevent every breach of privacy
+ that might occur. The professionally paranoid prefer browsers available as
+ source code, because anticipating their behavior is easier. Trust the source,
+ Luke!
+</para>
+
+</sect3>
+
+<sect3>
+<title id="sitebreak">Might some things break because header information is
+being altered?</title>
+
+<para>
+ Definitely. More and more sites use HTTP header content to decide what to
+ display and how to display it. There is many ways that this can be handled,
+ so having hard and fast rules, is tricky.
+</para>
+
+<para>
+ <quote>USER AGENT</quote> in particular is often used in this way to identify
+ the browser, and adjust content accordingly. Changing this now is not
+ recommended, since so many sites do look for this. You may get undesirable
+ results by changing this.
+</para>
+
+<para>
+ For instance, different browsers use different encodings of Russian and Czech
+ characters, certain web servers convert pages on-the-fly according to the
+ User Agent header. Giving a <quote>User Agent</quote> with the wrong
+ operating system or browser manufacturer causes some sites in these languages
+ to be garbled; Surfers to Eastern European sites should change it to
+ something closer. And then some page access counters work by looking at the
+ <quote>REFERER</quote> header; they may fail or break if unavailable. The
+ weather maps of Intellicast have been blocked by their server when no
+ <quote>REFERER</quote> or cookie is provided, is another example. There are
+ many, many other ways things can go wrong when trying to fool a web server.
+</para>
+
+<para>
+ If you have problems with a site, you will have to adjust your configuration
+ accordingly. Cookies are probably the most likely adjustment that may
+ be required, but by no means the only one.
+
+</para>
+
+</sect3>
+
+
+<sect3>
+<title id="caching">Can Junkbuster 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
+ <ulink url="http://www.squid-cache.org/">Squid</ulink> for this. And, yes,
+ before you ask, <application>Junkbuster</application> can co-exist
+ with other kinds of proxies like <quote>Squid</quote>.
+</para>
+</sect3>
+
+
+<sect3>
+<title id="logo">The Junkbuster logo that replaces ads is very blocky
+and ugly looking. Can't a better font be used?</title>
+
+<para>
+ This is not a font problem. The logo is an image that is created by
+ <application>Junkbuster</application> on the fly. So as to not waste
+ memory, the image is rather small. The blockiness comes when the
+ image is scaled to fill a largish area. There is not much to be done
+ about this, other than to use one of the other
+ <quote>imageblocker</quote> directives: <emphasis>pattern</emphasis>,
+ <emphasis>blank</emphasis>, or a URL of your chosing.
+</para>
+
+</sect3>
+
+
+<sect3>
+<title id="wasted">I have large empty spaces now where ads used to be.
+Why does Junkbuster leave these large gaps?</title>
+<para>
+ It would be easy enough to just eliminate this space altogether, rather than
+ fill it with blank space. But, this would create problems with many pages
+ that use the overall size of the ad to help organize the page layout and
+ hold the various components of the page where they were intended to be. It is
+ best left this way.
+
+</para>
+
+</sect3>
+
+<sect3>
+<title id="secure">Junkbuster 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 effect
+ <application>Junkbuster</application>. On Unix-like systems,
+ <application>Junkbuster</application> can run as a non-privileged
+ user, which is how we recommend it be run. Also, by default
+ <application>Junkbuster</application> only listens to requests
+ from <quote>localhost</quote>. It is not itself directly exposed to the
+ Internet in this configuration. If you want to have
+ <application>Junkbuster</application> serve as a LAN proxy, this will have to
+ be opened up to allow for external requests. In this case, we'd recommend
+ that the port used by <application>Junkbuster</application> (default is
+ 8118), be firewalled from outside (Internet) connections. Better safe than
+ sorry.
+
+</para>
+
+</sect3>
+
+<!--
+<sect3>
+<title id="blank">Now I see the ugly Junkbuster logo (or checkboard pattern) in
+place of ads. How can I get rid of this? I don't want to see anything.</title>
+<para>
+</para>
+
+</sect3>
+-->
+</sect2>
+
+
+<!-- ~~~~~ New section ~~~~~ -->
+
+<sect2>
+<title id="trouble">Troubleshooting</title>
+
+<sect3>
+<title id="refused">I just upgraded and am getting <quote>connection refused</quote>
+with every web page?</title>
+<para>
+ Either <application>Junkbuster</application> is not running, or your
+ browser is configured for a different port than what
+ <application>Junkbuster</application> is using.
+</para>
+
+<para>
+ The old <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 <application>Junkbuster's</application> <quote>listen-address</quote>
+ setting in the <filename>config</filename> file used to start
+ <application>Junkbuster</application>.
+</para>
+
+</sect3>
+
+<sect3>
+<title id="flushit">I just added a new rule, but the steenkin ad is
+still getting through. How?</title>
+<para>
+ 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. The best thing to do is try flusing
+ the browser's caches. And then try again.
+</para>
+
+<para>
+ If this doesn't help, you probably have an error in the rule you
+ applied. Try pasting the full URL of the offending ad into <ulink
+ url="http://ijbswa.sourceforge.net/config/show-url-info">http://ijbswa.sourceforge.net/config/show-url-info</ulink>
+ and see if any actions match your new rule.
+
+</para>
+
+</sect3>
+
+<sect3>
+<title id="badsite">One of my favorite sites does not work with Junkbuster.
+What can I do?</title>
+
+<para>
+ First verify that it is indeed a <application>Junkbuster</application> problem,
+ by disabling <application>Junkbuster</application> filtering and blocking.
+ Go to <ulink url="http://i.j.b/">http://i.j.b/</ulink> and click on
+ <quote>Toggle Junkbuster On or Off</quote>, then disable it. Now try that
+ page again.
+</para>
+
+<para>
+ If still a problem, go to <quote>Show which actions apply to a URL and
+ why</quote> from <ulink url="http://i.j.b/">http://i.j.b/</ulink> and
+ paste the full URL of the page in question into the prompt. See which
+ actions are being applied to the URL. Now, armed with this information,
+ go to <quote>Edit the actions list</quote>. Here you should see various
+ sections that have various <quote>Junkbuster</quote> features disabled
+ for specific sites. Disabled <quote>actions</quote> will have a
+ <quote>-</quote> (minus sign) in front of them. Add your problem page
+ URL to one of these sections that looks like it is disabling the feature that
+ is causing the problem. Re-try the page. There might be some trial and error
+ involved.
+
+</para>
+
+<para>
+ Alternately, if you are comfortable with a text editor, you can accomplish
+ the same thing by editing the appropriate <quote>actions</quote> file.
+
+</para>
+
+</sect3>
+
</sect2>
</sect1>
+
<!-- ~~~~~ New section ~~~~~ -->
<sect1 id="knownissues"><title>Known Issues</title>
<para>
Temple Place - Suite 330, Boston, MA 02111-1307, USA.
$Log: faq.sgml,v $
+Revision 1.15 2002/03/17 07:25:59 hal9
+Correcting some of my typos, and some additions.
+
+Revision 1.14 2002/03/17 02:39:13 hal9
+A little more added ...
+
+Revision 1.13 2002/03/17 00:22:20 hal9
+Adding new stuff, and trying to incorporate stuff from old faq.
+
+Revision 1.12 2002/03/11 20:13:21 swa
+typo
+
Revision 1.11 2002/03/11 18:42:27 swa
new section
projects / privoxy.git / blobdiff