This file belongs into
ijbswa.sourceforge.net:/home/groups/i/ij/ijbswa/htdocs/
- $Id: faq.sgml,v 1.17 2002/03/18 03:53:53 hal9 Exp $
+ $Id: faq.sgml,v 1.31 2002/03/26 22:29:55 swa Exp $
Written by and Copyright (C) 2001 the SourceForge
- IJBSWA team. http://ijbswa.sourceforge.net
+ Privoxy team. http://www.privoxy.org/
Based on the Internet Junkbuster originally written
by and Copyright (C) 1997 Anonymous Coders and
<article id="index">
<artheader>
-<title>Junkbuster Frequently Asked Questions</title>
+<title>Privoxy Frequently Asked Questions</title>
-<pubdate>$Id: faq.sgml,v 1.17 2002/03/18 03:53:53 hal9 Exp $</pubdate>
+<pubdate>$Id: faq.sgml,v 1.31 2002/03/26 22:29:55 swa Exp $</pubdate>
<authorgroup>
<author>
<affiliation>
- <orgname>By: Junkbuster Developers</orgname>
+ <orgname>By: Privoxy Developers</orgname>
</affiliation>
</author>
</authorgroup>
<abstract>
<para>
-The FAQ document gives users and developers alike answers to frequently asked
-questions about the Internet Junkbuster. <application>Internet
-Junkbuster</application> is a web proxy with advanced filtering capabilities
-for protecting privacy, filtering web page content, managing cookies,
-controlling access, and removing ads, banners, pop-ups and other obnoxious
-Internet Junk. Junkbuster has a very flexible configuration and can be
-customized to suit individual needs and tastes. <application>Internet
-Junkbuster</application> has application for both stand-alone systems and
-multi-user networks.
+ This FAQ gives users and developers alike answers to frequently asked
+ questions about <application>Privoxy</application>.
</para>
<para>
-You can find the latest version of the document at <ulink url="http://ijbswa.sourceforge.net/faq/">http://ijbswa.sourceforge.net/faq/</ulink>.
-Please see the Contact section in the user-manual if you want to contact the developers.
+ <application>Privoxy</application> is a web proxy with advanced filtering
+ capabilities for protecting privacy, filtering web page content, managing
+ cookies, controlling access, and removing ads, banners, pop-ups and other
+ obnoxious Internet junk. <application>Privoxy</application> has a very
+ flexible configuration and can be customized to suit individual needs and
+ tastes. <application>Privoxy</application> has application for both
+ stand-alone systems and multi-user networks.
+</para>
+<para>
+ <application>Privoxy</application> is based on the code of the
+ <application>Internet Junkbuster</application>.
+ <application>Junkbuster</application> was originally written by JunkBusters
+ Corporation, and was released as free open-source software under the GNU GPL.
+ Stefan Waldherr made many improvements, and started the SourceForge project
+ to continue development.
+</para>
+
+
+ <para>
+You can find the latest version of the document at <ulink url="http://www.privoxy.org/faq/">http://www.privoxy.org/faq/</ulink>.
+Please see the Contact section in the
+<ulink url="http://www.privoxy.org/user-manual/contact.html">user-manual</ulink> if you want to contact the developers.
</para>
<!-- <para> -->
<sect2 id="general"><title>General Information</title>
-<sect3 id="newjb"><title>What is this new version of <application>Junkbuster</application>?</title>
+<sect3 id="newjb"><title>What is this new version of <application>Privoxy</application>?</title>
<para>
The original <application>Internet Junkbuster</application> (tm) is a
- coyrighted product of <ulink url="http://www.junkbusters.com">Junkbusters
+ co
pyrighted 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
+ version 2.0.2. Stefan Wal
dherr 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.
+ The new <application>Privoxy</application> started with the same
+ <application>Junkbuster</application> code base, but has changed
+ significantly at this point.
</para>
</sect3>
+
+<sect3>
+<title id="whyprivoxy">Why <quote>Privoxy</quote>? Why a name change at all?</title>
+<para>
+ <application>Privoxy</application> is for <quote>Privacy Enhancing Proxy</quote>.
+ There are possible legal complications from the continued use of the
+ <application>Junkbuster</application> name, which is a trademark of
+ <ulink url="http://junkbusters.com">Junkbusters Corporation</ulink>.
+ (There are no objections from Junkbusters Corporation to the
+ <application>Privoxy</application> project itself though, and they
+ in fact still share our ideals and goals.)
+</para>
+
+<para>
+ The developers also believed that there so many changes from the original
+ code, that it was time to make a clean break from the past and make
+ a name in their own right, especially now with the pending release of
+ version 3.0.
+
+</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>
+ 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 enhanced, and many new features have been
added, all in the same vein.
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
+ as <filename>default.actions</filename>. This is where most of the per site
configuration is now.
</para>
<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!!!
+ This 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
+ url="http://p.p">http://p.p</ulink>). Browser-based tracing of rule
and filter effects.
</para>
</listitem>
</sect3>
<sect3 id="proxymoron"><title>What is a <quote>proxy</quote>? How does
-<application>Junkbuster</application> work? </title>
+<application>Privoxy</application> work? </title>
<para>
- When you connect to a web site with <application>Junkbuster</application>,
+ When you connect to a web site with <application>Privoxy</application>,
you are really connecting to your locally running version of
- <application>Junkbuster</application>. <application>Junkbuster</application>
+ <application>Privoxy</application>. <application>Privoxy</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
+ back to <application>Privoxy</application>, where
+ <application>Privoxy</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
+ Since <application>Privoxy</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
+ <application>Privoxy</application> uses various programming methods to do
this, all of which is under your control via the various configuration
files and options.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ There are many kinds of proxies. <application>Privoxy</application> best
+ fits the <quote>filtering proxy</quote> category.
</para>
+
</sect3>
-<sect3 id="browsers2"><title>My browser does the same things as
-Junkbuster. Why should I use Junkbuster at all?</title>
+<sect3 id="browsers2"><title>My browser does the same things as
+<application>Privoxy</application>. Why should I use
+<application>Privoxy</application> 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.
+ functionality as <application>Privoxy</application>. Maybe this is
+ adequate for you. But <application>Privoxy</application> is much more
+ versatile 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
<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
+ <application>Privoxy</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
<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>
+ <application>Privoxy</application> really is <emphasis>free</emphasis>
in every respect!
</para>
</sect3>
+<sect3 id="jointeam"><title>I would like to help you, what do I do?</title>
+
+<sect4 id="jointeam-money"><title>Money Money Money</title>
+<para>
+ We, of course, welcome donations and use the money for domain registering,
+ regular world-wide get-togethers (hahaha). Anyway, we'll soon describe the
+ process how to donate money to the team.
+</para>
+</sect4>
+
+<sect4 id="jointeam-work"><title>You want to work with us?</title>
+<para>
+ Well, helping the team is always a good idea. We welcome new developers,
+ RPM gurus or documentation makers. Simply get an account on sourceforge.net
+ and mail your id to the developer mailing list. Then read the
+ section Quickstart in the developers manual.
+</para>
+<para>
+Once we have added you to the team, you'll have write access to the CVS
+repository, and together we'll find a suitable task for you.
+</para>
+</sect4>
+
+</sect3>
+
</sect2>
<sect2 id="installation"><title>Installation</title>
-<sect3 id="newinstall"><title>Can I install the new
- <application>Junkbuster</application> over the old one?</title>
+<sect3 id="whichbrowsers">
+<title>Which browsers are supported by <application>Privoxy</application>?</title>
+<para>
+ Any browser that can be configured to use a <quote>proxy</quote>, which
+ is probably almost all browsers. Direct browser support is not necessary
+ since <application>Privoxy</application> runs as a separate application and
+ just exchanges standard HTML data with your browser.
+</para>
+</sect3>
+
+<sect3 id="whichos">
+<title>Which operating systems are supported?</title>
+<para>
+ Right now Win32, Mac OSX, OS/2, AmigaOS, Linux, and many
+ flavors of Unix.
+</para>
+
+<para>
+ Source code is available, so porting to other operating systems,
+ is always a possibility.
+
+</para>
+</sect3>
+
+<sect3 id="newinstall"><title>Can I install
+ <application>Privoxy</application> over <application>Junkbuster</application>?</title>
<para>
- We recommend you uninstall
the old <application>Junkbuster</application>
+ We recommend you uninstall <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 for 3.0!]
+ See the <ulink
+ url="http://www.privoxy.org/user-manual/">user-manual</ulink> for
+ platform specific installation instructions. [FIXME: This is meant for after
+ the name change for 3.0!]
</para>
</sect3>
<sect3>
-<title id="firststep">I just installed Junkbuster. Is there anything
+<title id="firststep">I just installed <application>Privoxy</application>. Is there anything
special I have to do now?</title>
<para>
- All browsers must be told to use <application>Junkbuster</application>
+ All browsers must be told to use <application>Privoxy</application>
as a proxy by specifying the correct proxy address and port number
in the appropriate configuration area for the browser. See below.
</sect3>
-<sect3 id="localhost"><title>What is the proxy address of Junkbuster?</title>
+<sect3 id="localhost"><title>What is the proxy address of <application>Privoxy</application>?</title>
<para>
- If you set up the <application>Junkbuster</application> to run on
+ If you set up the <application>Privoxy</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
+ to itself) and the port will be 8118 (unless you have <application>Privoxy</application> to run on a different port with the
<emphasis>listen-address</emphasis> config option).
</para>
<para>
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.
+ requests to <application>Privoxy</application> instead of directly to the
+ Internet.
</para>
<para>
- <application>Junkbuster</application> can also be used to proxy for
+ <application>Privoxy</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>
+ address of the LAN host where <application>Privoxy</application>
is running, or the equivalent hostname. Port assignment would be
same as above.
</para>
<para>
- <application>Junkbuster</application> does not currently handle
+ <application>Privoxy</application> does not currently handle
protocols such as FTP, SMTP, IM, IRC, ICQ, or other Internet
protocols.
</para>
</sect3>
<sect3>
-<title id="nothing">I just installed Junkbuster, and nothing is happening.
+<title id="nothing">I just installed <application>Privoxy</application>, and nothing is happening.
All the ads are there. What's wrong?</title>
<para>
- Did you configure your browser to use <application>Junkbuster</application>
+ Did you configure your browser to use <application>Privoxy</application>
as a proxy? It does not sound like it. See above. You might also try flushing
the browser's caches to force a full re-reading of pages. You can verify
- that <application>Junkbuster</application> is running, and your browser
+ that <application>Privoxy</application> is running, and your browser
is correctly configured by entering the special URL:
- <ulink url="http://i.j.b/">http://i.j.b/</ulink>. This should give you
- a banner that says <quote>This is the Internet JUNKBUSTER</quote> and
- access to <application>Junkbuster's</application> internal configuration.
+ <ulink url="http://p.p/">http://p.p/</ulink>. This should give you
+ a banner that says <quote>This is Privoxy</quote> and
+ access to <application>Privoxy's</application> internal configuration.
If you see this, then you are good to go. If not, the browser or
- <application>Junkbuster</application> are not set up correctly.
+ <application>Privoxy</application> are not set up correctly.
</para>
<para>
<quote>actions</quote> files are where various actions that
- <application>Junkbuster</application> might take, are configured.
+ <application>Privoxy</application> might take, are configured.
Typically, you would define a set of default actions that apply
to all URLs, then add exceptions to these defaults.
</para>
</para>
<para>
- <application>Junkbuster</application> comes with several default
+ <application>Privoxy</application> comes with several default
<application>actions</application> files, with varying degrees
of filtering and blocking, as starting points for your own
configuration (see below).
</sect3>
+<sect3 id="actionss">
+<title>The <quote>actions</quote>concept confuses me. Please list
+some of these <quote>actions</quote>.</title>
+<para>
+ These are all explained in the
+ <ulink url="../user-manual/configuration.html#ACTIONSFILE">user-manual</ulink>.
+ Please refer to that.
+</para>
+</sect3>
+
<sect3>
<title id="actconfig">How are actions files configured? What is the easiest
way to do this?</title>
<para>
- The easiest way to do this, is to access <application>Junkbuster</application>
- with your web browser at <ulink url="http://i.j.b/">http://i.j.b/</ulink>,
+ The easiest way to do this, is to access <application>Privoxy</application>
+ with your web browser at <ulink url="http://p.p/">http://p.p/</ulink>,
and then select
- "<ulink url="http://ijbswa.sourceforge.net/config/edit-actions">Edit the actions list</ulink>"
+ "<ulink url="http://www.privoxy.org/config/edit-actions">Edit the actions list</ulink>"
from the selection list. You can also do this by editing the appropriate
file with a text editor.
</para>
<para>
- Please see the user-manual for a detailed explanation of these and other
- configuration files, and their various options and syntax.
+ Please see the
+ <ulink
+ url="../user-manual/configuration.html#ACTIONSFILE">user-manual</ulink> for a
+ detailed explanation of these and other configuration files, and their
+ various options and syntax.
</para>
</sect3>
-->
<sect3 id="configfiles"> <title>What are the differences between
-ijb-intermediate.action, ijb-basic.action, etc.?</title>
+intermediate.action, basic.action, etc.?</title>
<para>
-Configuring the Internet Junkbuster is not easy. To help you get started, we
-provide you with three different default configurations. The following table
-shows you, which features are enabled in each configuration.
+Configuring <application>Privoxy</application> is not easy. To help you get
+started, we provide you with three different default configurations. The
+following table shows you, which features are enabled in each configuration.
</para>
<para>
<table frame=all><title>Default Configurations</title>
<thead>
<row>
<entry>Feature</entry>
- <entry>ijb.action</entry>
- <entry>ijb-basic.action</entry>
- <entry>ijb-intermediate.action</entry>
- <entry>ijb-advanced.action</entry>
+ <entry>default.action</entry>
+ <entry>basic.action</entry>
+ <entry>intermediate.action</entry>
+ <entry>advanced.action</entry>
</row>
</thead>
browser? Does that not raise security issues?</title>
<para>
What I don't understand, is how I can browser edit the config file as a
-regular user, while the whole /etc/junkbuster hierarchy belongs to the user
-"junkbuster", with only 644 perms.
+regular user, while the whole /etc/privoxy hierarchy belongs to the user
+"privoxy", with only 644 perms.
</para>
<para>
-When you use the browser-based editor, JunkBuster itself is writing to the
-config files. Because JunkBuster is running as the user "junkbuster", it can
+When you use the browser-based editor, <application>Privoxy</application>
+itself is writing to the config files. Because
+<application>Privoxy</application> is running as the user "privoxy", it can
update the config files.
</para>
<para>
If you don't like this, setting "enable-edit-actions 0" in the config file
will disable the browser-based editor. If you're that paranoid, you should
also consider setting "enable-remote-toggle 0" to prevent browser-based
-enabling/disabling of JunkBuster.
+enabling/disabling of <application>Privoxy</application>.
</para>
<para>
-Note that normally only local users can connect to JunkBuster, so this is not
+Note that normally only local users can connect to <application>Privoxy</application>, so this is not
(normally) a security problem.
</para>
</sect3>
+
+<sect3>
+<title id="filterfile">What is a <quote>default.filter</quote>?</title>
+<para>
+ The <quote>default.filter</quote> file is used to <quote>filter</quote> any
+ web page content. By <quote>filtering</quote> we mean it can modify, remove,
+ or change <emphasis>anything</emphasis> on the page, including HTML tags, and
+ JavaScript. Regular expressions are used to accomplish this, and operate
+ on a line by line basis. This is potentially a very powerful feature, but
+ requires some expertise.
+</para>
+
+<para>
+ If you are familiar with regular expressions, and HTML, you can look at
+ the provided <filename>default.filter</filename> with a text editor and see
+ some of things it can be used for.
+</para>
+
+<para>
+ Presently, there is no GUI editor option for this part of the configuration,
+ but you can disable/enable various sections of the included default
+ file with the <quote>Actions List Editor</quote> from your browser.
+</para>
+
+</sect3>
+
<sect3>
-<title id="lanconfig">How can I set up Junkbuster to act as a proxy for my
+<title id="lanconfig">How can I set up <application>Privoxy</application> to act as a proxy for my
LAN?</title>
<para>
- By default, <application>Junkbuster</application> only responds to requests
+ By default, <application>Privoxy</application> only responds to requests
from localhost. To have it act as a server for a network, this needs to be
- changed in the main config file where the <application>Junkbuster</application>
+ changed in the main config file where the <application>Privoxy</application>
configuration is located. In that file is a <quote>listen-address</quote>
option. It may be commented out with a <quote>#</quote> symbol. Make sure
it is uncommented, and assign it the address of the LAN gateway interface,
</para>
<para>
- Save the file, and restart <application>Junkbuster</application>. Configure
+ Save the file, and restart <application>Privoxy</application>. Configure
all browsers on the network then to use this address and port number.
</para>
<sect3>
-<title id="noseeum">Instead of ads, now I get a Junkbuster logo [or
-checkerboard]. I don't want to see anything.</title>
+<title id="noseeum">Instead of ads, now I get a checkerboard pattern. I don't want to see anything.</title>
<para>
This is a configuration option for images that
- <application>Junkbuster</application> is stopping. You have the choice of the
- <application>Junkbuster</application> logo, a checkerboard pattern (this
- scales better), a transparent 1x1 GIF image, or a custom URL or your choice.
+ <application>Privoxy</application> is stopping. You have the choice <!-- of
+ the --> <!-- <application>Privoxy</application> logo, --> a checkerboard
+ pattern, a transparent 1x1 GIF image (aka <quote>blank</quote>), or a custom
+ URL or your choice.
</para>
<para>
If you want to see nothing, then change the <quote>+image-blocker</quote>
- action to <quote>+image-blocker{blank}</quote>. This can done from the
+ action to <quote>+image-blocker{blank}</quote>. This can be done from the
<quote>Edit Actions List</quote> selection at <ulink
- url="http://i.j.b/">http://i.j.b/</ulink>. Or by hand editing the appropriate
+ url="http://p.p/">http://p.p/</ulink>. Or by hand editing the appropriate
actions file. This will only effect what is defined as <quote>images</quote>
though.
<sect3>
-<title id="whyseeum">Why would anybody want to see the logo or checkerboard?</title>
+<title id="whyseeum">Why would anybody want to see a checkerboard pattern?</title>
<para>
This can be helpful for troubleshooting problems. It might also be good
- for anyone new to <application>Junkbuster</application> so that they can
+ for anyone new to <application>Privoxy</application> so that they can
see if their favorite pages are displaying correctly, and
- <application>Junkbuster</application> is not inadvertantly removing something
+ <application>Privoxy</application> is not inadvertently removing something
important.
</para>
<title id="blockedisugly">I see large red banners on some pages that say
<quote>Blocked</quote>. How do I get rid of this?</title>
<para>
- These are URLs that match something on
- <application>Junkbuster's</application> block list. It is meant to be a
- warning, and they are handled differently than what has been defined as
- <quote>images</quote> (e.g. ad banners). If you want them to be treated as
- images, so that they can be invisible, then move the offending URL from the
- <quote>+block</quote> section to the <quote>+image-blocker</quote> section of
- your actions file. Alternately, you could modify the
- <quote><filename>block</filename></quote> HTML template that is used by
- <application>Junkbuster</application> to display this, and make it something
- more to your liking.
+ These are URLs that match something in one of
+ <application>Privoxy's</application> block actions (+block). It is meant
+ to be a warning so that you know something has been blocked and an easy way
+ for you to see why. These are handled differently than what has been defined
+ as <quote>images</quote> (e.g. ad banners). If you want them to be treated
+ as if they were images, so that they can be made invisible, then move the
+ offending URL from the <quote>+block</quote> section to the
+ <quote>+imageblock</quote> section of your actions file. Alternately, you
+ could modify the <quote><filename>block</filename></quote> HTML template that
+ is used by <application>Privoxy</application> to display this, and make it
+ something more to your liking.
+</para>
+
+</sect3>
+
+<sect3 id="otherproxy">
+<title>How can I make <application>Privoxy</application> work with other
+proxies like <application>Squid</application>?</title>
+<para>
+ This can be done. See the <ulink
+ url="../user-manual/configuration.html#FORWARDING">user manual</ulink>,
+ which describes how to do this.
</para>
<!-- ~~~~~ New section ~~~~~ -->
-<sect2 id="misc"><title>Misc</title>
+<sect2 id="misc"><title>Miscellaneous</title>
+
+<sect3>
+<title id="slowsme">How much does <application>Privoxy</application> slow my browsing down? This
+has to add extra time to browsing.</title>
+<para>
+ 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 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.
+</para>
+
+<para>
+ <quote>Filtering</quote> via the <filename>filterfile</filename>
+ mechanism may cause a perceived slowdown, since the entire page is buffered
+ before displaying. See below.
+</para>
+
+</sect3>
+
+
<sect3 id="loadingtimes"><title>I noticed considerable
-delays in page requests compared to the old IJB. What's wrong?</title>
+delays in page requests compared to the old Junkbuster. What's wrong?</title>
<para>
Using the default filtering configuration, I noticed considerable delays in
-page requests compared to the old IJB. Loading pages with large contents
+page requests compared to the old Junkbuster. Loading pages with large contents
seemed to take forever, then suddenly delivering all the content at once.
</para>
<para>
</para>
<para>
To modify the content of a page (i.e. make frames resizeable again, etc.) and
-not just replace ads, the Internet Junkbuster needs to download the entire
-page first, do its content magic and then send the page to the browser.
+not just replace ads, <application>Privoxy</application> needs to download the
+entire page first, do its content magic and then send the page to the browser.
</para>
</sect3>
-<sect3 id="configurl"><title>What is the "http://i.j.b/"?</title>
+<sect3 id="configurl"><title>What is the "http://p.p/"?</title>
<para>
-Since JunkBuster sits between your web browser and the Internet, it can be
+Since <application>Privoxy</application> sits between your web browser and the Internet, it can be
programmed to handle certain pages specially.
</para>
<para>
-With recent versions of JunkBuster (version 2.9.x), you can get some
-information about JunkBuster and change some settings by going to
-http://i.j.b/ or, equivalently, http://ijbswa.sourceforge.net/config/
-(Note that i.j.b is far easier to type but may not work in some
+With recent versions of <application>Privoxy</application> (version 2.9.x), you can get some
+information about <application>Privoxy</application> and change some settings by going to
+http://p.p/ or, equivalently, http://www.privoxy.org/config/
+(Note that p.p is far easier to type but may not work in some
configurations).
</para>
<para>
-These pages are *not* forwarded to a server on the internet - instead they are
-handled by a special web server which is built in to JunkBuster.
+These pages are *not* forwarded to a server on the Internet - instead they are
+handled by a special web server which is built in to <application>Privoxy</application>.
</para>
<para>
-If you are not running JunkBuster, then http://i.j.b/ will fail, and
-http://ijbswa.sourceforge.net/config/ will return a web page telling you
-you're not running JunkBuster.
+If you are not running <application>Privoxy</application>, then http://p.p/ will fail, and
+http://www.privoxy.org/config/ will return a web page telling you
+you're not running <application>Privoxy</application>.
</para>
<para>
</para>
</sect3>
+<!--
+FIXME: commented out until we have data. HB 03/18/02.
<sect3 id="badfiledesc"><title>I get the message 'Bad File Descriptor', why?</title>
<para>
</para>
</sect3>
-<sect3 id="proxy-chaining"><title>How do I chain Junkbuster with other proxies
+<sect3 id="proxy-chaining"><title>How do I chain <application>Privoxy</application> with other proxies
(e.g. squid)?</title>
<para>
Fillme.
</para>
</sect3>
-
-<sect3 id="jointeam"><title>I would like to help you, what do I do?</title>
-<para>
- Well, helping the team is always a good idea. We welcome new developers,
- RPM gurus or documentation makers. Simply get an account on sourceforge.net
- and mail your id to the developer mailing list. Once we have added you to
- the team, you'll have write access to the CVS repository, and together
- we'll find a suitable task for you.
-</para>
-</sect3>
+-->
<sect3 id="blocklist"><title>Do you still maintain the blocklists?</title>
<para>
<sect3 id="ip"><title>How can I hide my IP address?</title>
<para>
- You cannot hide your IP address with Junkbuster or any other software, since
+ You cannot hide your IP address with <application>Privoxy</application> or any other software, since
the server needs to know your IP address to send the answer to you.
</para>
<para>
<!-- <sect3 id="image"><title>What is the imagefile (simage.ini, etc.) for?</title> -->
<!-- <para> -->
-<!-- Anytime the Junkbuster determines (with the help of the blocklist) that a URL -->
+<!-- Anytime <application>Privoxy</application> determines (with the help of the blocklist) that a URL -->
<!-- contains an advertisement, it has to decide whether this advertisement is an -->
-<!-- image or not. The Junkbuster uses the imagefile for that purpose. -->
+<!-- image or not. <application>Privoxy</application> uses the imagefile for that purpose. -->
<!-- </para> -->
<!-- </sect3> -->
<sect3>
-<title id="anonforsure">Can Junkbuster guarantee I am anonymous?</title>
+<title id="anonforsure">Can <application>Privoxy</application> 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,
+ <application>Privoxy</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>
+ as when transferring a file by FTP. <application>Privoxy</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>.
<sect3>
-<title id="caching">Can Junkbuster act as a <quote>caching</quote> proxy to
+<title id="caching">Can <application>Privoxy</application> 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
+ before you ask, <application>Privoxy</application> can co-exist
with other kinds of proxies like <quote>Squid</quote>.
</para>
</sect3>
+<sect3>
+<title id="firewall">What about as a firewall? Can <application>Privoxy</application> protect me?</title>
+<para>
+ Not in the way you mean, or in the way a true firewall can, or a proxy that
+ has this specific capability. <application>Privoxy</application> can help
+ protect your privacy, but not really protect you from intrusion attempts.
+</para>
+</sect3>
+
<sect3>
-<title id="logo">The Junkbuster logo that replaces ads is very blocky
+<title id="logo">The <application>Privoxy</application> 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
+ <application>Privoxy</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.
+ <quote>imageblock</quote> directives: <emphasis>pattern</emphasis>,
+ <emphasis>blank</emphasis>, or a URL of your choosing.
+</para>
+<para>
+Given the above problem, we have decided to remove the logo option entirely
+[as of v2.9.13].
</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>
+Why does <application>Privoxy</application> 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
position the various components of the page where they were intended to be.
It is best left this way.
-
</para>
</sect3>
-
<sect3>
-<title id="ssl">How can Junkbuster filter HTTPS URLs?</title>
+<title id="ssl">How can <application>Privoxy</application> filter Secure (HTTPS) URLs?</title>
<para>
This is a limitation since HTTPS transactions are encrypted SSL sessions
between your browser and the secure site, and are meant to be reliably
<emphasis>secure</emphasis> and private. This means that all cookies and HTTP
header information are also encrypted from the time they leave your browser,
- or the site. <application>Junkbuster</application> does not try to unencrypt
- this information, so it just passes through as is.
- <application>Junkbuster</application> can still catch images and ads that
+ to the site, and vice versa. <application>Privoxy</application> does not
+ try to unencrypt this information, so it just passes through as is.
+ <application>Privoxy</application> can still catch images and ads that
are embedded in the SSL stream though.
-
</para>
</sect3>
<sect3>
-<title id="secure">Junkbuster runs as a <quote>server</quote>. How
+<title id="secure"><application>Privoxy</application> 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
+ <application>Privoxy</application>. On Unix-like systems,
+ <application>Privoxy</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
+ <application>Privoxy</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
+ <application>Privoxy</application> serve as a LAN proxy, this will have to
be opened up to allow for LAN requests. In this case, we'd recommend
you specify only the LAN gateway address, e.g. 192.168.1.1 in the main
- <application>Junkbuster</application> config file. All LAN hosts can then use
+ <application>Privoxy</application> config file. All LAN hosts can then use
this as their proxy address in the browser proxy configuration. In this way,
- <application>Junkbuster</application> will not listen on any external ports.
+ <application>Privoxy</application> will not listen on any external ports.
Of course, a firewall is always good too. Better safe than sorry.
-
</para>
</sect3>
-<sect3>
-<title id="filterfile">What is a <quote>re_filterfile</quote>?</title>
+<sect3 id="turnoff">
+<title>How can I temporarily disable <application>Privoxy</application>?</title>
<para>
- The <quote>re_filterfile</quote> is used to <quote>filter</quote> any
- page content. By <quote>filtering</quote> we mean it can modify, remove,
- or change <emphasis>anything</emphasis> on the page, including HTML tags, and
- JavaScript. Regular expressions are used to accomplish this. This is
- potentially a very powerful feature, but requires some expertise.
+ The easiest way is to access <application>Privoxy</application> with your
+ browser by using the special URL: <ulink url="http://p.p/">http://p.p/</ulink>
+ and select "Toggle Privoxy on or off" from that page.
</para>
-
-<para>
- If you are familiar with regular expressions, and HTML, you can look at
- the provided <filename>re_filterfile</filename> with a text editor and see
- some of things it can be used for.
-
-</para>
-
-<para>
- Presently, there is no GUI editor option for this part of the configuration.
-
-</para>
-
</sect3>
+
</sect2>
<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
+ Either <application>Privoxy</application> is not running, or your
browser is configured for a different port than what
- <application>Junkbuster</application> is using.
+ <application>Privoxy</application> is using.
</para>
<para>
- The old <application>Junkbuster</application> used port 8000 by
+ The old <application>Privoxy</application> (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 <application>Junkbuster's</application> <quote>listen-address</quote>
+ change <application>Privoxy's</application> <quote>listen-address</quote>
setting in the <filename>config</filename> file used to start
- <application>Junkbuster</application>.
+ <application>Privoxy</application>.
</para>
</sect3>
<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.
+ the need for any request to the server, and <application>Privoxy</application>
+ will not be in the picture. The best thing to do is try flushing 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>
+ url="http://www.privoxy.org/config/show-url-info">http://www.privoxy.org/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.
+<title id="badsite">One of my favorite sites does not work with <application>Privoxy</application>.
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
+ First verify that it is indeed a <application>Privoxy</application> problem,
+ by disabling <application>Privoxy</application> filtering and blocking.
+ Go to <ulink url="http://p.p/">http://p.p/</ulink> and click on
+ <quote>Toggle Privoxy 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.
+ why</quote> from <ulink url="http://p.p/">http://p.p/</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 <application>Privoxy</application> 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. This
+ is discussed in a little more detail in the <ulink
+ url="../user-manual/appendix.html#ACTIONSANAT">user-manual
+ appendix</ulink>.
</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>
</para>
</sect1>
-->
+
<!-- ~~~~~ New section ~~~~~ -->
+<!--
+
+This is referenced in the doc header already. HB 03/25/02
+
<sect1 id="contact"><title>Contact the developers</title>
<para>Please see the user manual for information on how to contact the developers.
</para>
</sect1>
-
+-->
<!-- ~~~~~ New section ~~~~~ -->
<sect1 id="copyright"><title>Copyright and History</title>
<para>Please see the user manual for information on Copyright and History.
Temple Place - Suite 330, Boston, MA 02111-1307, USA.
$Log: faq.sgml,v $
+Revision 1.31 2002/03/26 22:29:55 swa
+we have a new homepage!
+
+Revision 1.30 2002/03/25 16:39:22 hal9
+A few new sections. Made all links relative to user-manual.
+
+Revision 1.29 2002/03/25 05:23:57 hal9
+Moved section, and touch ups.
+
+Revision 1.28 2002/03/25 04:27:33 hal9
+New section related to name change.
+
+Revision 1.25 2002/03/24 16:08:08 swa
+we are too lazy to make a block-built
+privoxy logo. hence removed the option.
+
+Revision 1.24 2002/03/24 15:46:20 swa
+name change related issue.
+
+Revision 1.23 2002/03/24 12:33:01 swa
+more additions.
+
+Revision 1.22 2002/03/24 11:51:00 swa
+name change. changed filenames.
+
+Revision 1.21 2002/03/24 11:01:06 swa
+name change
+
+Revision 1.20 2002/03/23 15:13:11 swa
+renamed every reference to the old name with foobar.
+fixed "application foobar application" tag, fixed
+"the foobar" with "foobar". left junkbustser in cvs
+comments and remarks to history untouched.
+
+Revision 1.19 2002/03/21 17:01:54 hal9
+Some touch ups.
+
+Revision 1.18 2002/03/18 16:40:31 hal9
+More additions.
+
Revision 1.17 2002/03/18 03:53:53 hal9
Some new additions.
projects / privoxy.git / blobdiff