+<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN""http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/loose.dtd">
<HTML
><HEAD
><TITLE
>General Information</TITLE
><META
NAME="GENERATOR"
-CONTENT="Modular DocBook HTML Stylesheet Version 1.76b+
-"><LINK
+CONTENT="Modular DocBook HTML Stylesheet Version 1.79"><LINK
REL="HOME"
TITLE="Privoxy Frequently Asked Questions"
HREF="index.html"><LINK
HREF="installation.html"><LINK
REL="STYLESHEET"
TYPE="text/css"
-HREF="../p_doc.css"></HEAD
+HREF="../p_doc.css"><META
+HTTP-EQUIV="Content-Type"
+CONTENT="text/html;
+charset=ISO-8859-1"></HEAD
><BODY
CLASS="SECT1"
BGCOLOR="#EEEEEE"
CLASS="SECT1"
><A
NAME="GENERAL"
-></A
->1. General Information</H1
+>1. General Information</A
+></H1
><DIV
CLASS="SECT2"
><H3
CLASS="SECT2"
><A
-NAME="WHO_USES"
-></A
->1.1. Who should use Privoxy?</H3
-><P
-> Anyone that is interested in security, privacy, or in
- finer-grained control over their web and Internet experience.
- Everyone is encouraged to try <SPAN
+NAME="WHO-USES"
+>1.1. Who should give <SPAN
CLASS="APPLICATION"
>Privoxy</SPAN
->.
+> a try?</A
+></H3
+><P
+> Anyone who is interested in security, privacy, or in
+ finer-grained control over their web and Internet experience.
</P
></DIV
><DIV
CLASS="SECT2"
><A
NAME="BESTCHOICE"
-></A
>1.2. Is Privoxy the best choice for
-me?</H3
+me?</A
+></H3
><P
> <SPAN
CLASS="APPLICATION"
>Privoxy</SPAN
> 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 <SPAN
+ control and security. Those with the willingness to read the documentation
+ and the ability to fine-tune their installation will benefit the most.
+ </P
+><P
+> One of <SPAN
CLASS="APPLICATION"
>Privoxy's</SPAN
>
- strength's is that it is highly configurable giving you the ability to
+ strengths 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 <A
HREF="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Http"
HREF="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Html"
TARGET="_top"
>HTML</A
->,
- <A
-HREF="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_Protocol"
-TARGET="_top"
->IP (Internet
- Protocol)</A
>, and
<A
HREF="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regular_expressions"
CLASS="APPLICATION"
>Privoxy's</SPAN
> configuration can be done
+ with a <A
HREF="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_browser"
TARGET="_top"
>Web browser</A
TARGET="_top"
>text editor</A
>
- to edit configuration files.
+ to edit configuration files. Also note that the web-based action editor
+ doesn't use authentication and should only be enabled in environments
+ where all clients with access to <SPAN
+CLASS="APPLICATION"
+>Privoxy</SPAN
+> listening port can be trusted.
</P
></DIV
><DIV
CLASS="SECT2"
><A
NAME="PROXYMORON"
-></A
>1.3. What is a <SPAN
CLASS="QUOTE"
>"proxy"</SPAN
>? How does
-Privoxy work?</H3
+Privoxy work?</A
+></H3
><P
+> A <A
HREF="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proxy_server"
TARGET="_top"
>web proxy</A
>
- is a service, based on a software such as
- <SPAN
+ is a service, based on a software such as <SPAN
CLASS="APPLICATION"
>Privoxy</SPAN
->, 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 <SPAN
+>, that clients
+ (i.e. browsers) can use instead of connecting to web servers directly.
+ The clients then ask the proxy to request objects (web pages, images, movies etc)
+ on their behalf and to forward the data to the clients.
+ It is a <SPAN
CLASS="QUOTE"
>"go-between"</SPAN
->. See
+>. For details, see
+ <A
HREF="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proxy_server"
TARGET="_top"
->Wikipedia proxy
- definition</A
-> for more.
+>Wikipedia's proxy definition</A
+>.
</P
><P
> There are many reasons to use web proxies, such as security (firewalling),
> <SPAN
CLASS="APPLICATION"
>Privoxy</SPAN
-> 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,
+> is a proxy that is primarily focused on
+ privacy enhancement, 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
CLASS="SECT2"
><A
NAME="OTHERSTUFF"
-></A
->1.4. Does Privoxy do anything more than ad blocking?</H3
+>1.4. Does Privoxy do anything more than ad blocking?</A
+></H3
><P
>
Yes, ad blocking is but one possible use. There are many, many ways <SPAN
CLASS="SECT2"
><A
NAME="NEWJB"
-></A
>1.5. What is this new version of
<SPAN
CLASS="QUOTE"
>"Junkbuster"</SPAN
->?</H3
+>?</A
+></H3
><P
> A long time ago, there was the
<A
web advertising and user tracking.</P
><P
> But the web, its protocols and standards, and with it, the techniques for
- forcing ads on users, give up autonomy over their browsing, and
+ forcing ads on users, give up autonomy over their browsing, and
for tracking them, keeps evolving. Unfortunately, the <SPAN
CLASS="APPLICATION"
>Internet
>.
Fortunately, it had been released under the GNU
<A
-HREF="http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html"
+HREF="http://www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/gpl-2.0.html"
TARGET="_top"
-> GPL</A
->, which allowed further
- development by others.</P
+>GPL</A
+>,
+ which allowed further development by others.</P
><P
-> So Stefan Waldherr started maintaining an
- <A
-HREF="http://www.waldherr.org/junkbuster/"
-TARGET="_top"
->improved version of the
- software</A
->, to which eventually a number of people contributed patches.
+> So Stefan Waldherr started maintaining an improved version of the
+ software, to which eventually a number of people contributed patches.
It could already replace banners with a transparent image, and had a first
version of pop-up killing, but it was still very closely based on the
original, with all its limitations, such as the lack of HTTP/1.1 support,
><H3
CLASS="SECT2"
><A
-NAME="AEN78"
-></A
+NAME="AEN85"
>1.6. Why <SPAN
CLASS="QUOTE"
>"Privoxy"</SPAN
>? Why change the name from
-Junkbuster at all?</H3
+Junkbuster at all?</A
+></H3
><P
> Though outdated, <A
HREF="http://junkbusters.com/"
CLASS="SECT2"
><A
NAME="DIFFERS"
-></A
>1.7. How does Privoxy differ
-from the old Junkbuster?</H3
+from the old Junkbuster?</A
+></H3
><P
> <SPAN
CLASS="APPLICATION"
<SPAN
CLASS="APPLICATION"
>Junkbuster</SPAN
-> left off. All the old features remain.
+> left off.
The new <SPAN
CLASS="APPLICATION"
>Privoxy</SPAN
TARGET="_top"
>cookies</A
>, 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.
+ helps protect your privacy. But, most of these features have been enhanced,
+ and many new ones have been added, all in the same vein.
</P
><P
-> The configuration has changed significantly as well. This is something that
- users will notice right off the bat if upgrading from
- <SPAN
-CLASS="APPLICATION"
->Junkbuster</SPAN
-> 2.0.x. The <SPAN
-CLASS="QUOTE"
->"blocklist"</SPAN
->
- <SPAN
-CLASS="QUOTE"
->"cookielist"</SPAN
->, <SPAN
-CLASS="QUOTE"
->"imagelist"</SPAN
-> and much more has been
- combined into the <SPAN
-CLASS="QUOTE"
->"actions"</SPAN
-> files, with a completely different
- syntax. See the <A
-HREF="../user-manual/whatsnew.html"
-TARGET="_top"
->What's New</A
->
- page for the latest updates.</P
-><P
> <SPAN
CLASS="APPLICATION"
>Privoxy</SPAN
><UL
><LI
><P
-> Integrated browser based configuration and control utility at <A
+> Supports "Connection: keep-alive". Outgoing connections can
+ be kept alive independently from the client.
+ </P
+></LI
+><LI
+><P
+> Supports IPv6, provided the operating system does so too,
+ and the configure script detects it.
+ </P
+></LI
+><LI
+><P
+> Supports tagging which allows to change the behaviour
+ based on client and server headers.
+ </P
+></LI
+><LI
+><P
+> Can be run as an "intercepting" proxy, which obviates the need to
+ configure browsers individually.
+ </P
+></LI
+><LI
+><P
+> Sophisticated actions and filters for manipulating both server and client
+ headers.
+ </P
+></LI
+><LI
+><P
+> Can be chained with other proxies.
+ </P
+></LI
+><LI
+><P
+> Integrated browser-based configuration and control utility at <A
HREF="http://config.privoxy.org/"
TARGET="_top"
>http://config.privoxy.org/</A
invisible <SPAN
CLASS="QUOTE"
>"web-bugs"</SPAN
->, JavaScript and HTML annoyances,
- pop-up windows, header manipulation, etc.)
+> and HTML annoyances, etc.)
</P
></LI
><LI
></LI
><LI
><P
-> HTTP/1.1 compliant (but not all optional 1.1 features are supported).
- </P
-></LI
-><LI
-><P
-> Support for Perl Compatible Regular Expressions in the configuration files, and
- generally a more sophisticated and flexible configuration syntax over
- previous versions.
- </P
-></LI
-><LI
-><P
-> Improved cookie management features (e.g. session based cookies).
+> Support for Perl Compatible Regular Expressions in the configuration files, and
+ a more sophisticated and flexible configuration syntax.
</P
></LI
><LI
><P
-> GIF de-animation.
+> GIF de-animation.
</P
></LI
><LI
></LI
><LI
><P
-> Multi-threaded (POSIX and native threads).
- </P
-></LI
-><LI
-><P
-> User-customizable HTML templates for all proxy-generated pages (e.g. "blocked" page).
+> User-customizable HTML templates for most proxy-generated pages (e.g. "blocked" page).
</P
></LI
><LI
></LI
><LI
><P
-> Improved signal handling, and a true daemon mode (Unix).
+> Most features are controllable on a per-site or per-location basis.
</P
></LI
><LI
><P
-> Every feature now controllable on a per-site or per-location basis, configuration
- more powerful and versatile over-all.
- </P
-></LI
-><LI
-><P
-> Many smaller new features added, limitations and bugs removed, and security holes fixed.
+> Many smaller new features added, limitations and bugs removed.
</P
></LI
></UL
CLASS="SECT2"
><A
NAME="WHATSANAD"
-></A
>1.8. How does Privoxy know what is
-an ad, and what is not?</H3
+an ad, and what is not?</A
+></H3
><P
> <SPAN
CLASS="APPLICATION"
><H3
CLASS="SECT2"
><A
-NAME="AEN159"
-></A
+NAME="AEN163"
>1.9. Can Privoxy make mistakes?
-This does not sound very scientific.</H3
+This does not sound very scientific.</A
+></H3
><P
> Actually, it's a black art ;-) And yes, it is always possible to have a broad
rule accidentally block or change something by mistake. You will almost surely
><H3
CLASS="SECT2"
><A
-NAME="AEN165"
-></A
+NAME="AEN169"
>1.10. Will I have to configure Privoxy
- before I can use it?</H3
+ before I can use it?</A
+></H3
><P
-> No, not really. The default installation should give you a good starting
+> That depends on your expectations.
+ The default installation should give you a good starting
point, and block <SPAN
CLASS="emphasis"
><I
CLASS="EMPHASIS"
>most</I
></SPAN
-> ads and unwanted content. Many of
- the more advanced features are off by default, and would require you to
- activate them. </P
+> ads and unwanted content,
+ but many of the more advanced features are off by default, and require
+ you to activate them. </P
><P
> You do have to set up your browser to use
<SPAN
CLASS="APPLICATION"
>Privoxy's</SPAN
>
- configuration to more closely match your individual situation. And we would
+ configuration to more closely match your individual situation. And we
encourage you to do this. This is where the real power of
<SPAN
CLASS="APPLICATION"
CLASS="SECT2"
><A
NAME="LAN"
-></A
->1.11. Can Privoxy run as a server on a network?</H3
+>1.11. Can Privoxy run as a server on a network?</A
+></H3
><P
>
Yes, <SPAN
CLASS="SECT2"
><A
NAME="BROWSERS2"
-></A
>1.12. My browser does the same things as
-Privoxy. Why should I use Privoxy at all?</H3
+Privoxy. Why should I use Privoxy at all?</A
+></H3
><P
> Modern browsers do indeed have <SPAN
CLASS="emphasis"
adequate for you. But <SPAN
CLASS="APPLICATION"
>Privoxy</SPAN
-> is much more
- versatile and powerful, and can do a number of things that browsers just can't.
+> is very
+ versatile and powerful, and can probably do a number of things
+ your browser just can't.
</P
><P
> In addition, a proxy is good choice if you use multiple browsers, or
have to maintain a similar configuration for possibly many browsers or
users.
</P
+><P
+> Note, however, that it's recommended to leverage both your browser's
+ and <SPAN
+CLASS="APPLICATION"
+>Privoxy's</SPAN
+> privacy enhancing features
+ at the same time. While your browser probably lacks some features
+ <SPAN
+CLASS="APPLICATION"
+>Privoxy</SPAN
+> offers, it should also be able to do some things more
+ reliable, for example restricting and suppressing JavaScript.
+ </P
></DIV
><DIV
CLASS="SECT2"
CLASS="SECT2"
><A
NAME="WHYTRUST"
-></A
->1.13. Why should I trust Privoxy?</H3
+>1.13. Why should I trust Privoxy?</A
+></H3
><P
> The most important reason is because you have access to
<SPAN
>, 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
+ there should be some comfort in knowing that 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
<SPAN
CLASS="emphasis"
><I
CLASS="SECT2"
><A
NAME="LICENSE"
-></A
>1.14. Is there is a license or fee? What about a
-warranty? Registration?</H3
+warranty? Registration?</A
+></H3
><P
> <SPAN
CLASS="APPLICATION"
>Privoxy</SPAN
-> is licensed under the <A
-HREF="http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html"
+> is
free software and licensed under the <A
+HREF="http://www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/gpl-2.0.html"
TARGET="_top"
->GNU General Public License (GPL)</A
+>GNU General Public License (GPL) version 2</A
>.
It is free to use, copy, modify or distribute as you wish under the terms of this
license. Please see the <A
></SPAN
> of any kind, expressed, implied or otherwise.
That is something that would cost real money ;-) There is no registration either.
- <SPAN
-CLASS="APPLICATION"
->Privoxy</SPAN
-> really is <SPAN
-CLASS="emphasis"
-><I
-CLASS="EMPHASIS"
->free</I
-></SPAN
->
- in every respect!
</P
></DIV
><DIV
CLASS="SECT2"
><A
NAME="SPYWARE"
-></A
->1.15. Can Privoxy remove spyware? Adware? Viruses?</H3
+>1.15. Can Privoxy remove spyware? Adware? Viruses?</A
+></H3
><P
-> No. <SPAN
+> No, at least not reliably enough to trust it. <SPAN
CLASS="APPLICATION"
>Privoxy</SPAN
-> cannot remove anything. It is not a removal tool. It is a
- preventative. <SPAN
+> is not designed to be
+ a malware removal tool and the default configuration doesn't even try to
+ filter out any malware.</P
+><P
+> <SPAN
CLASS="APPLICATION"
>Privoxy</SPAN
-> can help prevent contact from sites that use such
+> could help prevent contact from (known) sites that use such
tactics with appropriate configuration rules, and thus could conceivably
- prevent contamination from such sites.</P
+ prevent contamination from such sites. However, keeping such a configuration
+ up to date would require a lot of time and effort that would be better spend
+ on keeping your software itself up to date so it doesn't have known
+ vulnerabilities.</P
></DIV
><DIV
CLASS="SECT2"
CLASS="SECT2"
><A
NAME="OTHERADS"
-></A
->1.16. Can I use Privoxy with other ad-blocking software?</H3
+>1.16. Can I use Privoxy with other ad-blocking software?</A
+></H3
><P
> <SPAN
CLASS="APPLICATION"
>Privoxy</SPAN
> 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
+ It might be better to choose one software or the other and work a little to
tweak its configuration to your liking.</P
+><P
+> Note that this is an advice specific to ad blocking.</P
></DIV
><DIV
CLASS="SECT2"
><H3
CLASS="SECT2"
><A
-NAME="JOINTEAM"
-></A
->1.17. I would like to help you, what can I do?</H3
+NAME="HELP-THE-DEVELOPERS"
+>1.17. I would like to help you, what can I do?</A
+></H3
><DIV
CLASS="SECT3"
><H4
CLASS="SECT3"
><A
-NAME="JOINTEAM-WORK"
-></A
->1.17.1. Would you like to participate?</H4
+NAME="PARTICIPATE"
+>1.17.1. Would you like to participate?</A
+></H4
><P
> Well, we <SPAN
CLASS="emphasis"
>. There are many other tasks available. In fact,
the programmers often can't spend as much time programming because of some
of the other, more mundane things that need to be done, like checking the
- Tracker feedback sections.
+ Tracker feedback sections or responding to user questions on the mailing
+ lists.
</P
><P
-> So first thing, <A
+> So first thing, subscribe to the <A
+HREF="https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/ijbswa-users"
+TARGET="_top"
+>Privoxy Users</A
+>
+ or the <A
+HREF="https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/ijbswa-developers"
+TARGET="_top"
+>Privoxy
+ Developers</A
+> mailing list, join the discussion, help out other users, provide general
+ feedback or report problems you noticed.
+ </P
+><P
+> If you intend to help out with the trackers, you also might want to <A
HREF="https://sourceforge.net/account/register.php"
TARGET="_top"
>get an account on SourceForge.net</A
>
- and mail your id to the <A
-HREF="mailto:ijbswa-developers@lists.sourceforge.net"
-TARGET="_top"
->developers
- mailing list</A
->. Then, please read the <A
+ so we don't confuse you with the other name-less users.
+ </P
+><P
+> We also have a <A
HREF="../developer-manual/index.html"
TARGET="_top"
>Developer's Manual</A
->, at least
- the pertinent sections.</P
+>.
+ While it is partly out of date, it's still worth reading.</P
+><P
+> Our <A
+HREF="http://ijbswa.cvs.sourceforge.net/viewvc/ijbswa/current/TODO?view=markup"
+TARGET="_top"
+>TODO list</A
+>
+ may be of interest to you as well.
+ Please let us know if you want to work on one of the items listed.</P
></DIV
><DIV
CLASS="SECT3"
><H4
CLASS="SECT3"
><A
-NAME="JOINTEAM-MONEY"
-></A
->1.17.2. Contribute!</H4
+NAME="DONATE"
+>1.17.2. Would you like to donate?</A
+></H4
><P
-> We, of course, welcome donations and could use money for domain registering,
- buying software to test <SPAN
+> <SPAN
CLASS="APPLICATION"
>Privoxy</SPAN
-> with, and, of course,
- for regular world-wide get-togethers (hahaha). If you enjoy the software and feel
- like helping us with a donation, just <A
-HREF="mailto: ijbswa-developers@lists.sourceforge.net"
+> is developed by unpaid volunteers
+ and thus our current running costs are pretty low. Nevertheless, we
+ have plans that will cost money in the future. We would like to get
+ this money through donations made by our users.</P
+><P
+> <SPAN
+CLASS="APPLICATION"
+>Privoxy</SPAN
+> has therefore become an associated
+ project of <A
+HREF="http://www.spi-inc.org/about-spi/about-spi"
TARGET="_top"
->drop us a note</A
->.</P
-></DIV
-><DIV
-CLASS="SECT3"
-><H4
-CLASS="SECT3"
-><A
-NAME="JOINTEAM-SOFTWARE"
-></A
->1.17.3. Software</H4
+>Software
+ in the Public Interest (SPI)</A
+>, which allows us to receive tax-deductible
+ donations in most western countries.</P
+><P
+> We intend to use the donations to pay for our domain after transfering
+ it to SPI. Our goal is to make sure there's no single point of failure
+ and the bill gets paid and the site keeps running even if a some of
+ the currently active developers were to suddenly disappear for a while.</P
><P
-> If you are a vendor of a web-related software like a browser, web server
- or proxy, and would like us to ensure that <SPAN
+> We would also like to spend some money on more reliable hosting,
+ on hardware to help make sure <SPAN
CLASS="APPLICATION"
>Privoxy</SPAN
>
- runs smoothly with your product, you might consider supplying us with a
- copy or license. We can't, however, guarantee that we will fix all potential
- compatibility issues as a result.</P
+ keeps running on platforms the developers currently can't test on,
+ and on technical books to educate our developers about said platforms
+ or to improve their knowledge in general.</P
+><P
+> If you enjoy our software and feel like helping out with a donation,
+ please have a look at
+ <A
+HREF="http://www.spi-inc.org/donations"
+TARGET="_top"
+>SPI's donation page</A
+>
+ to see what the options are.</P
></DIV
></DIV
></DIV
projects / privoxy.git / blobdiff