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->Privoxy 3.0.9 User Manual</TH
-></TR
-><TR
-><TD
-WIDTH="10%"
-ALIGN="left"
-VALIGN="bottom"
-><A
-HREF="whatsnew.html"
-ACCESSKEY="P"
->Prev</A
-></TD
-><TD
-WIDTH="80%"
-ALIGN="center"
-VALIGN="bottom"
-></TD
-><TD
-WIDTH="10%"
-ALIGN="right"
-VALIGN="bottom"
-><A
-HREF="startup.html"
-ACCESSKEY="N"
->Next</A
-></TD
-></TR
-></TABLE
-><HR
-ALIGN="LEFT"
-WIDTH="100%"></DIV
-><DIV
-CLASS="SECT1"
-><H1
-CLASS="SECT1"
-><A
-NAME="QUICKSTART"
->4. Quickstart to Using Privoxy</A
-></H1
-><P
-> <P
-></P
-><UL
-><LI
-><P
-> Install <SPAN
-CLASS="APPLICATION"
->Privoxy</SPAN
->. See the <A
-HREF="installation.html"
->Installation Section</A
-> below for platform specific
- information.
- </P
-></LI
-><LI
-><P
-> Advanced users and those who want to offer <SPAN
-CLASS="APPLICATION"
->Privoxy</SPAN
->
- service to more than just their local machine should check the <A
-HREF="config.html"
->main config file</A
->, especially the <A
-HREF="config.html#ACCESS-CONTROL"
->security-relevant</A
-> options. These are
- off by default.
- </P
-></LI
-><LI
-><P
-> Start <SPAN
-CLASS="APPLICATION"
->Privoxy</SPAN
->, if the installation program has
- not done this already (may vary according to platform). See the section
- <A
-HREF="startup.html"
->Starting <SPAN
-CLASS="APPLICATION"
->Privoxy</SPAN
-></A
->.
- </P
-></LI
-><LI
-><P
-> Set your browser to use <SPAN
-CLASS="APPLICATION"
->Privoxy</SPAN
-> as HTTP and
- HTTPS (SSL) <A
-HREF="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proxy_server"
-TARGET="_top"
->proxy</A
->
- by setting the proxy configuration for address of
- <TT
-CLASS="LITERAL"
->127.0.0.1</TT
-> and port <TT
-CLASS="LITERAL"
->8118</TT
->.
- <SPAN
-CLASS="emphasis"
-><I
-CLASS="EMPHASIS"
->DO NOT</I
-></SPAN
-> activate proxying for <TT
-CLASS="LITERAL"
->FTP</TT
-> or
- any protocols besides HTTP and HTTPS (SSL) unless you intend to prevent your
- browser from using these protocols.
- </P
-></LI
-><LI
-><P
-> Flush your browser's disk and memory caches, to remove any cached ad images.
- If using <SPAN
-CLASS="APPLICATION"
->Privoxy</SPAN
-> to manage
- <A
-HREF="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Browser_cookie"
-TARGET="_top"
->cookies</A
->,
- you should remove any currently stored cookies too.
- </P
-></LI
-><LI
-><P
-> A default installation should provide a reasonable starting point for
- most. There will undoubtedly be occasions where you will want to adjust the
- configuration, but that can be dealt with as the need arises. Little
- to no initial configuration is required in most cases, you may want
- to enable the
- <A
-HREF="config.html#ENABLE-EDIT-ACTIONS"
-TARGET="_top"
->web-based action editor</A
-> though.
- Be sure to read the warnings first.
- </P
-><P
-> See the <A
-HREF="configuration.html"
->Configuration section</A
-> for more
- configuration options, and how to customize your installation.
- You might also want to look at the <A
-HREF="quickstart.html#QUICKSTART-AD-BLOCKING"
->next section</A
-> for a quick
- introduction to how <SPAN
-CLASS="APPLICATION"
->Privoxy</SPAN
-> blocks ads and
- banners.</P
-></LI
-><LI
-><P
-> If you experience ads that slip through, innocent images that are
- blocked, or otherwise feel the need to fine-tune
- <SPAN
-CLASS="APPLICATION"
->Privoxy's</SPAN
-> behavior, take a look at the <A
-HREF="actions-file.html"
->actions files</A
->. As a quick start, you might
- find the <A
-HREF="actions-file.html#ACT-EXAMPLES"
->richly commented examples</A
->
- helpful. You can also view and edit the actions files through the <A
-HREF="http://config.privoxy.org"
-TARGET="_top"
->web-based user interface</A
->. The
- Appendix <SPAN
-CLASS="QUOTE"
->"<A
-HREF="appendix.html#ACTIONSANAT"
->Troubleshooting: Anatomy of an
- Action</A
->"</SPAN
-> has hints on how to understand and debug actions that
- <SPAN
-CLASS="QUOTE"
->"misbehave"</SPAN
->.
- </P
-></LI
-><LI
-><P
-> Please see the section <A
-HREF="contact.html"
->Contacting the
- Developers</A
-> on how to report bugs, problems with websites or to get
- help.
- </P
-></LI
-><LI
-><P
-> Now enjoy surfing with enhanced control, comfort and privacy!
- </P
-></LI
-></UL
-></P
-><DIV
-CLASS="SECT2"
-><H2
-CLASS="SECT2"
-><A
-NAME="QUICKSTART-AD-BLOCKING"
->4.1. Quickstart to Ad Blocking</A
-></H2
-><P
-> Ad blocking is but one of <SPAN
-CLASS="APPLICATION"
->Privoxy's</SPAN
->
- array of features. Many of these features are for the technically minded advanced
- user. But, ad and banner blocking is surely common ground for everybody.</P
-><P
->
- This section will provide a quick summary of ad blocking so
- you can get up to speed quickly without having to read the more extensive
- information provided below, though this is highly recommended.</P
-><P
-> First a bit of a warning ... blocking ads is much like blocking SPAM: the
- more aggressive you are about it, the more likely you are to block
- things that were not intended. And the more likely that some things
- may not work as intended. So there is a trade off here. If you want
- extreme ad free browsing, be prepared to deal with more
- <SPAN
-CLASS="QUOTE"
->"problem"</SPAN
-> sites, and to spend more time adjusting the
- configuration to solve these unintended consequences. In short, there is
- not an easy way to eliminate <SPAN
-CLASS="emphasis"
-><I
-CLASS="EMPHASIS"
->all</I
-></SPAN
-> ads. Either take
- the easy way and settle for <SPAN
-CLASS="emphasis"
-><I
-CLASS="EMPHASIS"
->most</I
-></SPAN
-> ads blocked with the
- default configuration, or jump in and tweak it for your personal surfing
- habits and preferences.</P
-><P
-> Secondly, a brief explanation of <SPAN
-CLASS="APPLICATION"
->Privoxy's </SPAN
->
- <SPAN
-CLASS="QUOTE"
->"actions"</SPAN
->. <SPAN
-CLASS="QUOTE"
->"Actions"</SPAN
-> in this context, are
- the directives we use to tell <SPAN
-CLASS="APPLICATION"
->Privoxy</SPAN
-> to perform
- some task relating to HTTP transactions (i.e. web browsing). We tell
- <SPAN
-CLASS="APPLICATION"
->Privoxy</SPAN
-> to take some <SPAN
-CLASS="QUOTE"
->"action"</SPAN
->. Each
- action has a unique name and function. While there are many potential
- <SPAN
-CLASS="APPLICATION"
->actions</SPAN
-> in <SPAN
-CLASS="APPLICATION"
->Privoxy's</SPAN
->
- arsenal, only a few are used for ad blocking. <A
-HREF="actions-file.html#ACTIONS"
->Actions</A
->, and <A
-HREF="actions-file.html"
->action
- configuration files</A
->, are explained in depth below.</P
-><P
-> Actions are specified in <SPAN
-CLASS="APPLICATION"
->Privoxy's</SPAN
-> configuration,
- followed by one or more URLs to which the action should apply. URLs
- can actually be URL type <A
-HREF="actions-file.html#AF-PATTERNS"
->patterns</A
-> that use
- wildcards so they can apply potentially to a range of similar URLs. The
- actions, together with the URL patterns are called a section.</P
-><P
-> When you connect to a website, the full URL will either match one or more
- of the sections as defined in <SPAN
-CLASS="APPLICATION"
->Privoxy's</SPAN
-> configuration,
- or not. If so, then <SPAN
-CLASS="APPLICATION"
->Privoxy</SPAN
-> will perform the
- respective actions. If not, then nothing special happens. Furthermore, web
- pages may contain embedded, secondary URLs that your web browser will
- use to load additional components of the page, as it parses the
- original page's HTML content. An ad image for instance, is just an URL
- embedded in the page somewhere. The image itself may be on the same server,
- or a server somewhere else on the Internet. Complex web pages will have many
- such embedded URLs. <SPAN
-CLASS="APPLICATION"
->Privoxy</SPAN
-> can deal with each URL individually, so, for
- instance, the main page text is not touched, but images from such-and-such
- server are blocked.</P
-><P
-> The most important actions for basic ad blocking are: <TT
-CLASS="LITERAL"
-><A
-HREF="actions-file.html#BLOCK"
->block</A
-></TT
->, <TT
-CLASS="LITERAL"
-><A
-HREF="actions-file.html#HANDLE-AS-IMAGE"
->handle-as-image</A
-></TT
->,
- <TT
-CLASS="LITERAL"
-><A
-HREF="actions-file.html#HANDLE-AS-EMPTY-DOCUMENT"
->handle-as-empty-document</A
-></TT
->,and
- <TT
-CLASS="LITERAL"
-><A
-HREF="actions-file.html#SET-IMAGE-BLOCKER"
->set-image-blocker</A
-></TT
->:</P
-><P
-> <P
-></P
-><UL
-><LI
-><P
-> <TT
-CLASS="LITERAL"
-><A
-HREF="actions-file.html#BLOCK"
->block</A
-></TT
-> - this is perhaps
- the single most used action, and is particularly important for ad blocking.
- This action stops any contact between your browser and any URL patterns
- that match this action's configuration. It can be used for blocking ads,
- but also anything that is determined to be unwanted. By itself, it simply
- stops any communication with the remote server and sends
- <SPAN
-CLASS="APPLICATION"
->Privoxy</SPAN
->'s own built-in BLOCKED page instead to
- let you now what has happened (with some exceptions, see below).
- </P
-></LI
-><LI
-><P
-> <TT
-CLASS="LITERAL"
-><A
-HREF="actions-file.html#HANDLE-AS-IMAGE"
->handle-as-image</A
-></TT
-> -
- tells <SPAN
-CLASS="APPLICATION"
->Privoxy</SPAN
-> to treat this URL as an image.
- <SPAN
-CLASS="APPLICATION"
->Privoxy</SPAN
->'s default configuration already does this
- for all common image types (e.g. GIF), but there are many situations where this
- is not so easy to determine. So we'll force it in these cases. This is particularly
- important for ad blocking, since only if we know that it's an image of
- some kind, can we replace it with an image of our choosing, instead of the
- <SPAN
-CLASS="APPLICATION"
->Privoxy</SPAN
-> BLOCKED page (which would only result in
- a <SPAN
-CLASS="QUOTE"
->"broken image"</SPAN
-> icon). There are some limitations to this
- though. For instance, you can't just brute-force an image substitution for
- an entire HTML page in most situations.
- </P
-></LI
-><LI
-><P
-> <TT
-CLASS="LITERAL"
-><A
-HREF="actions-file.html#HANDLE-AS-EMPTY-DOCUMENT"
->handle-as-empty-document</A
-></TT
-> -
- sends an empty document instead of <SPAN
-CLASS="APPLICATION"
->Privoxy's</SPAN
->
- normal BLOCKED HTML page. This is useful for file types that are neither
- HTML nor images, such as blocking JavaScript files.
- </P
-></LI
-><LI
-><P
-> <TT
-CLASS="LITERAL"
-><A
-HREF="actions-file.html#SET-IMAGE-BLOCKER"
->set-image-blocker</A
-></TT
-> - tells
- <SPAN
-CLASS="APPLICATION"
->Privoxy</SPAN
-> what to display in place of an ad image that
- has hit a block rule. For this to come into play, the URL must match a
- <TT
-CLASS="LITERAL"
-><A
-HREF="actions-file.html#BLOCK"
->block</A
-></TT
-> action somewhere in the
- configuration, <SPAN
-CLASS="emphasis"
-><I
-CLASS="EMPHASIS"
->and</I
-></SPAN
->, it must also match an
- <TT
-CLASS="LITERAL"
-><A
-HREF="actions-file.html#HANDLE-AS-IMAGE"
->handle-as-image</A
-></TT
-> action.
- </P
-><P
-> The configuration options on what to display instead of the ad are:
- </P
-><P
-></P
-><TABLE
-BORDER="0"
-><TBODY
-><TR
-><TD
-> <SPAN
-CLASS="emphasis"
-><I
-CLASS="EMPHASIS"
->pattern</I
-></SPAN
-> - a checkerboard pattern, so that an ad
- replacement is obvious. This is the default.
- </TD
-></TR
-></TBODY
-></TABLE
-><P
-></P
-><P
-></P
-><TABLE
-BORDER="0"
-><TBODY
-><TR
-><TD
-> <SPAN
-CLASS="emphasis"
-><I
-CLASS="EMPHASIS"
->blank</I
-></SPAN
-> - A very small empty GIF image is displayed.
- This is the so-called <SPAN
-CLASS="QUOTE"
->"invisible"</SPAN
-> configuration option.
- </TD
-></TR
-></TBODY
-></TABLE
-><P
-></P
-><P
-></P
-><TABLE
-BORDER="0"
-><TBODY
-><TR
-><TD
-> <SPAN
-CLASS="emphasis"
-><I
-CLASS="EMPHASIS"
->http://<URL></I
-></SPAN
-> - A redirect to any image anywhere
- of the user's choosing (advanced usage).
- </TD
-></TR
-></TBODY
-></TABLE
-><P
-></P
-></LI
-></UL
-></P
-><P
-> Advanced users will eventually want to explore <SPAN
-CLASS="APPLICATION"
->Privoxy</SPAN
->
- <TT
-CLASS="LITERAL"
-><A
-HREF="actions-file.html#FILTER"
->filters</A
-></TT
-> as well. Filters
- are very different from <TT
-CLASS="LITERAL"
-><A
-HREF="actions-file.html#BLOCK"
->blocks</A
-></TT
->.
- A <SPAN
-CLASS="QUOTE"
->"block"</SPAN
-> blocks a site, page, or unwanted contented. Filters
- are a way of filtering or modifying what is actually on the page. An example
- filter usage: a text replacement of <SPAN
-CLASS="QUOTE"
->"no-no"</SPAN
-> for
- <SPAN
-CLASS="QUOTE"
->"nasty-word"</SPAN
->. That is a very simple example. This process can be
- used for ad blocking, but it is more in the realm of advanced usage and has
- some pitfalls to be wary off.</P
-><P
-> The quickest way to adjust any of these settings is with your browser through
- the special <SPAN
-CLASS="APPLICATION"
->Privoxy</SPAN
-> editor at <A
-HREF="http://config.privoxy.org/show-status"
-TARGET="_top"
->http://config.privoxy.org/show-status</A
->
- (shortcut: <A
-HREF="http://p.p/"
-TARGET="_top"
->http://p.p/show-status</A
->). This
- is an internal page, and does not require Internet access.</P
-><P
-> Note that as of <SPAN
-CLASS="APPLICATION"
->Privoxy</SPAN
-> 3.0.7 beta the
- action editor is disabled by default. Check the
- <A
-HREF="config.html#ENABLE-EDIT-ACTIONS"
-TARGET="_top"
->enable-edit-actions
- section in the configuration file</A
-> to learn why and in which
- cases it's safe to enable again.</P
-><P
-> If you decided to enable the action editor, select the appropriate
- <SPAN
-CLASS="QUOTE"
->"actions"</SPAN
-> file, and click
- <SPAN
-CLASS="QUOTE"
->"<SPAN
-CLASS="GUIBUTTON"
->Edit</SPAN
->"</SPAN
->. It is best to put personal or
- local preferences in <TT
-CLASS="FILENAME"
->user.action</TT
-> since this is not
- meant to be overwritten during upgrades, and will over-ride the settings in
- other files. Here you can insert new <SPAN
-CLASS="QUOTE"
->"actions"</SPAN
->, and URLs for ad
- blocking or other purposes, and make other adjustments to the configuration.
- <SPAN
-CLASS="APPLICATION"
->Privoxy</SPAN
-> will detect these changes automatically.</P
-><P
-> A quick and simple step by step example:</P
-><P
-> <P
-></P
-><UL
-><LI
-><P
-> Right click on the ad image to be blocked, then select
- <SPAN
-CLASS="QUOTE"
->"<SPAN
-CLASS="GUIMENUITEM"
->Copy Link Location</SPAN
->"</SPAN
-> from the
- pop-up menu.
- </P
-></LI
-><LI
-><P
-> Set your browser to
- <A
-HREF="http://config.privoxy.org/show-status"
-TARGET="_top"
->http://config.privoxy.org/show-status</A
->
- </P
-></LI
-><LI
-><P
-> Find <TT
-CLASS="FILENAME"
->user.action</TT
-> in the top section, and click
- on <SPAN
-CLASS="QUOTE"
->"<SPAN
-CLASS="GUIBUTTON"
->Edit</SPAN
->"</SPAN
->:
- </P
-><P
-> <DIV
-CLASS="FIGURE"
-><A
-NAME="AEN569"
-></A
-><P
-><B
->Figure 1. Actions Files in Use</B
-></P
-><DIV
-CLASS="MEDIAOBJECT"
-><P
-><IMG
-SRC="files-in-use.jpg"></P
-></DIV
-></DIV
->
- </P
-></LI
-><LI
-><P
-> You should have a section with only
- <TT
-CLASS="LITERAL"
-><A
-HREF="actions-file.html#BLOCK"
->block</A
-></TT
-> listed under
- <SPAN
-CLASS="QUOTE"
->"Actions:"</SPAN
->.
- If not, click a <SPAN
-CLASS="QUOTE"
->"<SPAN
-CLASS="GUIBUTTON"
->Insert new section below</SPAN
->"</SPAN
->
- button, and in the new section that just appeared, click the
- <SPAN
-CLASS="GUIBUTTON"
->Edit</SPAN
-> button right under the word <SPAN
-CLASS="QUOTE"
->"Actions:"</SPAN
->.
- This will bring up a list of all actions. Find
- <TT
-CLASS="LITERAL"
-><A
-HREF="actions-file.html#BLOCK"
->block</A
-></TT
-> near the top, and click
- in the <SPAN
-CLASS="QUOTE"
->"Enabled"</SPAN
-> column, then <SPAN
-CLASS="QUOTE"
->"<SPAN
-CLASS="GUIBUTTON"
->Submit</SPAN
->"</SPAN
->
- just below the list.
- </P
-></LI
-><LI
-><P
-> Now, in the <TT
-CLASS="LITERAL"
-><A
-HREF="actions-file.html#BLOCK"
->block</A
-></TT
-> actions section,
- click the <SPAN
-CLASS="QUOTE"
->"<SPAN
-CLASS="GUIBUTTON"
->Add</SPAN
->"</SPAN
-> button, and paste the URL the
- browser got from <SPAN
-CLASS="QUOTE"
->"<SPAN
-CLASS="GUIMENUITEM"
->Copy Link Location</SPAN
->"</SPAN
->.
- Remove the <TT
-CLASS="LITERAL"
->http://</TT
-> at the beginning of the URL. Then, click
- <SPAN
-CLASS="QUOTE"
->"<SPAN
-CLASS="GUIBUTTON"
->Submit</SPAN
->"</SPAN
-> (or
- <SPAN
-CLASS="QUOTE"
->"<SPAN
-CLASS="GUIBUTTON"
->OK</SPAN
->"</SPAN
-> if in a pop-up window).
- </P
-></LI
-><LI
-><P
-> Now go back to the original page, and press <B
-CLASS="KEYCAP"
->SHIFT-Reload</B
->
- (or flush all browser caches). The image should be gone now.
- </P
-></LI
-></UL
-></P
-><P
-> This is a very crude and simple example. There might be good reasons to use a
- wildcard pattern match to include potentially similar images from the same
- site. For a more extensive explanation of <SPAN
-CLASS="QUOTE"
->"patterns"</SPAN
->, and
- the entire actions concept, see <A
-HREF="actions-file.html"
->the Actions
- section</A
->.</P
-><P
-> For advanced users who want to hand edit their config files, you might want
- to now go to the <A
-HREF="actions-file.html#ACT-EXAMPLES"
->Actions Files Tutorial</A
->.
- The ideas explained therein also apply to the web-based editor.</P
-><P
-> There are also various
- <A
-HREF="actions-file.html#FILTER"
->filters</A
-> that can be used for ad blocking
- (filters are a special subset of actions). These
- fall into the <SPAN
-CLASS="QUOTE"
->"advanced"</SPAN
-> usage category, and are explained in
- depth in later sections. </P
-></DIV
-></DIV
-><DIV
-CLASS="NAVFOOTER"
-><HR
-ALIGN="LEFT"
-WIDTH="100%"><TABLE
-SUMMARY="Footer navigation table"
-WIDTH="100%"
-BORDER="0"
-CELLPADDING="0"
-CELLSPACING="0"
-><TR
-><TD
-WIDTH="33%"
-ALIGN="left"
-VALIGN="top"
-><A
-HREF="whatsnew.html"
-ACCESSKEY="P"
->Prev</A
-></TD
-><TD
-WIDTH="34%"
-ALIGN="center"
-VALIGN="top"
-><A
-HREF="index.html"
-ACCESSKEY="H"
->Home</A
-></TD
-><TD
-WIDTH="33%"
-ALIGN="right"
-VALIGN="top"
-><A
-HREF="startup.html"
-ACCESSKEY="N"
->Next</A
-></TD
-></TR
-><TR
-><TD
-WIDTH="33%"
-ALIGN="left"
-VALIGN="top"
->What's New in this Release</TD
-><TD
-WIDTH="34%"
-ALIGN="center"
-VALIGN="top"
-> </TD
-><TD
-WIDTH="33%"
-ALIGN="right"
-VALIGN="top"
->Starting Privoxy</TD
-></TR
-></TABLE
-></DIV
-></BODY
-></HTML
->
\ No newline at end of file
+<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN"
+"http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/loose.dtd">
+
+<html>
+<head>
+ <title>Quickstart to Using Privoxy</title>
+ <meta name="GENERATOR" content=
+ "Modular DocBook HTML Stylesheet Version 1.79">
+ <link rel="HOME" title="Privoxy 3.0.22 User Manual" href="index.html">
+ <link rel="PREVIOUS" title="What's New in this Release" href=
+ "whatsnew.html">
+ <link rel="NEXT" title="Starting Privoxy" href="startup.html">
+ <link rel="STYLESHEET" type="text/css" href="../p_doc.css">
+ <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=us-ascii">
+ <link rel="STYLESHEET" type="text/css" href="p_doc.css">
+</head>
+
+<body class="SECT1" bgcolor="#EEEEEE" text="#000000" link="#0000FF" vlink=
+"#840084" alink="#0000FF">
+ <div class="NAVHEADER">
+ <table summary="Header navigation table" width="100%" border="0"
+ cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0">
+ <tr>
+ <th colspan="3" align="center">Privoxy 3.0.22 User Manual</th>
+ </tr>
+
+ <tr>
+ <td width="10%" align="left" valign="bottom"><a href="whatsnew.html"
+ accesskey="P">Prev</a></td>
+
+ <td width="80%" align="center" valign="bottom"></td>
+
+ <td width="10%" align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="startup.html"
+ accesskey="N">Next</a></td>
+ </tr>
+ </table>
+ <hr align="left" width="100%">
+ </div>
+
+ <div class="SECT1">
+ <h1 class="SECT1"><a name="QUICKSTART" id="QUICKSTART">4. Quickstart to
+ Using Privoxy</a></h1>
+
+ <ul>
+ <li>
+ <p>Install <span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy</span>. See the <a href=
+ "installation.html">Installation Section</a> below for platform
+ specific information.</p>
+ </li>
+
+ <li>
+ <p>Advanced users and those who want to offer <span class=
+ "APPLICATION">Privoxy</span> service to more than just their local
+ machine should check the <a href="config.html">main config file</a>,
+ especially the <a href=
+ "config.html#ACCESS-CONTROL">security-relevant</a> options. These are
+ off by default.</p>
+ </li>
+
+ <li>
+ <p>Start <span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy</span>, if the
+ installation program has not done this already (may vary according to
+ platform). See the section <a href="startup.html">Starting
+ <span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy</span></a>.</p>
+ </li>
+
+ <li>
+ <p>Set your browser to use <span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy</span>
+ as HTTP and HTTPS (SSL) <a href=
+ "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proxy_server" target="_top">proxy</a>
+ by setting the proxy configuration for address of <tt class=
+ "LITERAL">127.0.0.1</tt> and port <tt class="LITERAL">8118</tt>.
+ <span class="emphasis"><i class="EMPHASIS">DO NOT</i></span> activate
+ proxying for <tt class="LITERAL">FTP</tt> or any protocols besides
+ HTTP and HTTPS (SSL) unless you intend to prevent your browser from
+ using these protocols.</p>
+ </li>
+
+ <li>
+ <p>Flush your browser's disk and memory caches, to remove any cached
+ ad images. If using <span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy</span> to
+ manage <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Browser_cookie" target=
+ "_top">cookies</a>, you should remove any currently stored cookies
+ too.</p>
+ </li>
+
+ <li>
+ <p>A default installation should provide a reasonable starting point
+ for most. There will undoubtedly be occasions where you will want to
+ adjust the configuration, but that can be dealt with as the need
+ arises. Little to no initial configuration is required in most cases,
+ you may want to enable the <a href="config.html#ENABLE-EDIT-ACTIONS"
+ target="_top">web-based action editor</a> though. Be sure to read the
+ warnings first.</p>
+
+ <p>See the <a href="configuration.html">Configuration section</a> for
+ more configuration options, and how to customize your installation.
+ You might also want to look at the <a href=
+ "quickstart.html#QUICKSTART-AD-BLOCKING">next section</a> for a quick
+ introduction to how <span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy</span> blocks
+ ads and banners.</p>
+ </li>
+
+ <li>
+ <p>If you experience ads that slip through, innocent images that are
+ blocked, or otherwise feel the need to fine-tune <span class=
+ "APPLICATION">Privoxy's</span> behavior, take a look at the <a href=
+ "actions-file.html">actions files</a>. As a quick start, you might
+ find the <a href="actions-file.html#ACT-EXAMPLES">richly commented
+ examples</a> helpful. You can also view and edit the actions files
+ through the <a href="http://config.privoxy.org" target=
+ "_top">web-based user interface</a>. The Appendix <span class=
+ "QUOTE">"<a href="appendix.html#ACTIONSANAT">Troubleshooting: Anatomy
+ of an Action</a>"</span> has hints on how to understand and debug
+ actions that <span class="QUOTE">"misbehave"</span>.</p>
+ </li>
+
+ <li>
+ <p>Please see the section <a href="contact.html">Contacting the
+ Developers</a> on how to report bugs, problems with websites or to
+ get help.</p>
+ </li>
+
+ <li>
+ <p>Now enjoy surfing with enhanced control, comfort and privacy!</p>
+ </li>
+ </ul>
+
+ <div class="SECT2">
+ <h2 class="SECT2"><a name="QUICKSTART-AD-BLOCKING" id=
+ "QUICKSTART-AD-BLOCKING">4.1. Quickstart to Ad Blocking</a></h2>
+
+ <p>Ad blocking is but one of <span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy's</span>
+ array of features. Many of these features are for the technically
+ minded advanced user. But, ad and banner blocking is surely common
+ ground for everybody.</p>
+
+ <p>This section will provide a quick summary of ad blocking so you can
+ get up to speed quickly without having to read the more extensive
+ information provided below, though this is highly recommended.</p>
+
+ <p>First a bit of a warning ... blocking ads is much like blocking
+ SPAM: the more aggressive you are about it, the more likely you are to
+ block things that were not intended. And the more likely that some
+ things may not work as intended. So there is a trade off here. If you
+ want extreme ad free browsing, be prepared to deal with more
+ <span class="QUOTE">"problem"</span> sites, and to spend more time
+ adjusting the configuration to solve these unintended consequences. In
+ short, there is not an easy way to eliminate <span class=
+ "emphasis"><i class="EMPHASIS">all</i></span> ads. Either take the easy
+ way and settle for <span class="emphasis"><i class=
+ "EMPHASIS">most</i></span> ads blocked with the default configuration,
+ or jump in and tweak it for your personal surfing habits and
+ preferences.</p>
+
+ <p>Secondly, a brief explanation of <span class=
+ "APPLICATION">Privoxy's</span> <span class="QUOTE">"actions"</span>.
+ <span class="QUOTE">"Actions"</span> in this context, are the
+ directives we use to tell <span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy</span> to
+ perform some task relating to HTTP transactions (i.e. web browsing). We
+ tell <span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy</span> to take some <span class=
+ "QUOTE">"action"</span>. Each action has a unique name and function.
+ While there are many potential <span class="APPLICATION">actions</span>
+ in <span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy's</span> arsenal, only a few are
+ used for ad blocking. <a href="actions-file.html#ACTIONS">Actions</a>,
+ and <a href="actions-file.html">action configuration files</a>, are
+ explained in depth below.</p>
+
+ <p>Actions are specified in <span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy's</span>
+ configuration, followed by one or more URLs to which the action should
+ apply. URLs can actually be URL type <a href=
+ "actions-file.html#AF-PATTERNS">patterns</a> that use wildcards so they
+ can apply potentially to a range of similar URLs. The actions, together
+ with the URL patterns are called a section.</p>
+
+ <p>When you connect to a website, the full URL will either match one or
+ more of the sections as defined in <span class=
+ "APPLICATION">Privoxy's</span> configuration, or not. If so, then
+ <span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy</span> will perform the respective
+ actions. If not, then nothing special happens. Furthermore, web pages
+ may contain embedded, secondary URLs that your web browser will use to
+ load additional components of the page, as it parses the original
+ page's HTML content. An ad image for instance, is just an URL embedded
+ in the page somewhere. The image itself may be on the same server, or a
+ server somewhere else on the Internet. Complex web pages will have many
+ such embedded URLs. <span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy</span> can deal
+ with each URL individually, so, for instance, the main page text is not
+ touched, but images from such-and-such server are blocked.</p>
+
+ <p>The most important actions for basic ad blocking are: <tt class=
+ "LITERAL"><a href="actions-file.html#BLOCK">block</a></tt>, <tt class=
+ "LITERAL"><a href=
+ "actions-file.html#HANDLE-AS-IMAGE">handle-as-image</a></tt>,
+ <tt class="LITERAL"><a href=
+ "actions-file.html#HANDLE-AS-EMPTY-DOCUMENT">handle-as-empty-document</a></tt>,and
+ <tt class="LITERAL"><a href=
+ "actions-file.html#SET-IMAGE-BLOCKER">set-image-blocker</a></tt>:</p>
+
+ <ul>
+ <li>
+ <p><tt class="LITERAL"><a href=
+ "actions-file.html#BLOCK">block</a></tt> - this is perhaps the
+ single most used action, and is particularly important for ad
+ blocking. This action stops any contact between your browser and
+ any URL patterns that match this action's configuration. It can be
+ used for blocking ads, but also anything that is determined to be
+ unwanted. By itself, it simply stops any communication with the
+ remote server and sends <span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy</span>'s
+ own built-in BLOCKED page instead to let you now what has happened
+ (with some exceptions, see below).</p>
+ </li>
+
+ <li>
+ <p><tt class="LITERAL"><a href=
+ "actions-file.html#HANDLE-AS-IMAGE">handle-as-image</a></tt> -
+ tells <span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy</span> to treat this URL as
+ an image. <span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy</span>'s default
+ configuration already does this for all common image types (e.g.
+ GIF), but there are many situations where this is not so easy to
+ determine. So we'll force it in these cases. This is particularly
+ important for ad blocking, since only if we know that it's an image
+ of some kind, can we replace it with an image of our choosing,
+ instead of the <span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy</span> BLOCKED
+ page (which would only result in a <span class="QUOTE">"broken
+ image"</span> icon). There are some limitations to this though. For
+ instance, you can't just brute-force an image substitution for an
+ entire HTML page in most situations.</p>
+ </li>
+
+ <li>
+ <p><tt class="LITERAL"><a href=
+ "actions-file.html#HANDLE-AS-EMPTY-DOCUMENT">handle-as-empty-document</a></tt>
+ - sends an empty document instead of <span class=
+ "APPLICATION">Privoxy's</span> normal BLOCKED HTML page. This is
+ useful for file types that are neither HTML nor images, such as
+ blocking JavaScript files.</p>
+ </li>
+
+ <li>
+ <p><tt class="LITERAL"><a href=
+ "actions-file.html#SET-IMAGE-BLOCKER">set-image-blocker</a></tt> -
+ tells <span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy</span> what to display in
+ place of an ad image that has hit a block rule. For this to come
+ into play, the URL must match a <tt class="LITERAL"><a href=
+ "actions-file.html#BLOCK">block</a></tt> action somewhere in the
+ configuration, <span class="emphasis"><i class=
+ "EMPHASIS">and</i></span>, it must also match an <tt class=
+ "LITERAL"><a href=
+ "actions-file.html#HANDLE-AS-IMAGE">handle-as-image</a></tt>
+ action.</p>
+
+ <p>The configuration options on what to display instead of the ad
+ are:</p>
+
+ <table border="0">
+ <tbody>
+ <tr>
+ <td> <span class="emphasis"><i class=
+ "EMPHASIS">pattern</i></span> - a checkerboard pattern, so
+ that an ad replacement is obvious. This is the default.</td>
+ </tr>
+ </tbody>
+ </table>
+
+ <table border="0">
+ <tbody>
+ <tr>
+ <td> <span class="emphasis"><i class=
+ "EMPHASIS">blank</i></span> - A very small empty GIF image is
+ displayed. This is the so-called <span class=
+ "QUOTE">"invisible"</span> configuration option.</td>
+ </tr>
+ </tbody>
+ </table>
+
+ <table border="0">
+ <tbody>
+ <tr>
+ <td> <span class="emphasis"><i class=
+ "EMPHASIS">http://<URL></i></span> - A redirect to any
+ image anywhere of the user's choosing (advanced usage).</td>
+ </tr>
+ </tbody>
+ </table>
+ </li>
+ </ul>
+
+ <p>Advanced users will eventually want to explore <span class=
+ "APPLICATION">Privoxy</span> <tt class="LITERAL"><a href=
+ "actions-file.html#FILTER">filters</a></tt> as well. Filters are very
+ different from <tt class="LITERAL"><a href=
+ "actions-file.html#BLOCK">blocks</a></tt>. A <span class=
+ "QUOTE">"block"</span> blocks a site, page, or unwanted contented.
+ Filters are a way of filtering or modifying what is actually on the
+ page. An example filter usage: a text replacement of <span class=
+ "QUOTE">"no-no"</span> for <span class="QUOTE">"nasty-word"</span>.
+ That is a very simple example. This process can be used for ad
+ blocking, but it is more in the realm of advanced usage and has some
+ pitfalls to be wary off.</p>
+
+ <p>The quickest way to adjust any of these settings is with your
+ browser through the special <span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy</span>
+ editor at <a href="http://config.privoxy.org/show-status" target=
+ "_top">http://config.privoxy.org/show-status</a> (shortcut: <a href=
+ "http://p.p/" target="_top">http://p.p/show-status</a>). This is an
+ internal page, and does not require Internet access.</p>
+
+ <p>Note that as of <span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy</span> 3.0.7 beta
+ the action editor is disabled by default. Check the <a href=
+ "config.html#ENABLE-EDIT-ACTIONS" target="_top">enable-edit-actions
+ section in the configuration file</a> to learn why and in which cases
+ it's safe to enable again.</p>
+
+ <p>If you decided to enable the action editor, select the appropriate
+ <span class="QUOTE">"actions"</span> file, and click <span class=
+ "QUOTE">"<span class="GUIBUTTON">Edit</span>"</span>. It is best to put
+ personal or local preferences in <tt class="FILENAME">user.action</tt>
+ since this is not meant to be overwritten during upgrades, and will
+ over-ride the settings in other files. Here you can insert new
+ <span class="QUOTE">"actions"</span>, and URLs for ad blocking or other
+ purposes, and make other adjustments to the configuration. <span class=
+ "APPLICATION">Privoxy</span> will detect these changes
+ automatically.</p>
+
+ <p>A quick and simple step by step example:</p>
+
+ <ul>
+ <li>
+ <p>Right click on the ad image to be blocked, then select
+ <span class="QUOTE">"<span class="GUIMENUITEM">Copy Link
+ Location</span>"</span> from the pop-up menu.</p>
+ </li>
+
+ <li>
+ <p>Set your browser to <a href=
+ "http://config.privoxy.org/show-status" target=
+ "_top">http://config.privoxy.org/show-status</a></p>
+ </li>
+
+ <li>
+ <p>Find <tt class="FILENAME">user.action</tt> in the top section,
+ and click on <span class="QUOTE">"<span class=
+ "GUIBUTTON">Edit</span>"</span>:</p>
+
+ <div class="FIGURE">
+ <a name="AEN856" id="AEN856"></a>
+
+ <p><b>Figure 1. Actions Files in Use</b></p>
+
+ <div class="MEDIAOBJECT">
+ <p><img src="files-in-use.jpg"></p>
+ </div>
+ </div>
+ </li>
+
+ <li>
+ <p>You should have a section with only <tt class="LITERAL"><a href=
+ "actions-file.html#BLOCK">block</a></tt> listed under <span class=
+ "QUOTE">"Actions:"</span>. If not, click a <span class=
+ "QUOTE">"<span class="GUIBUTTON">Insert new section
+ below</span>"</span> button, and in the new section that just
+ appeared, click the <span class="GUIBUTTON">Edit</span> button
+ right under the word <span class="QUOTE">"Actions:"</span>. This
+ will bring up a list of all actions. Find <tt class=
+ "LITERAL"><a href="actions-file.html#BLOCK">block</a></tt> near the
+ top, and click in the <span class="QUOTE">"Enabled"</span> column,
+ then <span class="QUOTE">"<span class=
+ "GUIBUTTON">Submit</span>"</span> just below the list.</p>
+ </li>
+
+ <li>
+ <p>Now, in the <tt class="LITERAL"><a href=
+ "actions-file.html#BLOCK">block</a></tt> actions section, click the
+ <span class="QUOTE">"<span class="GUIBUTTON">Add</span>"</span>
+ button, and paste the URL the browser got from <span class=
+ "QUOTE">"<span class="GUIMENUITEM">Copy Link
+ Location</span>"</span>. Remove the <tt class=
+ "LITERAL">http://</tt> at the beginning of the URL. Then, click
+ <span class="QUOTE">"<span class="GUIBUTTON">Submit</span>"</span>
+ (or <span class="QUOTE">"<span class="GUIBUTTON">OK</span>"</span>
+ if in a pop-up window).</p>
+ </li>
+
+ <li>
+ <p>Now go back to the original page, and press <b class=
+ "KEYCAP">SHIFT-Reload</b> (or flush all browser caches). The image
+ should be gone now.</p>
+ </li>
+ </ul>
+
+ <p>This is a very crude and simple example. There might be good reasons
+ to use a wildcard pattern match to include potentially similar images
+ from the same site. For a more extensive explanation of <span class=
+ "QUOTE">"patterns"</span>, and the entire actions concept, see <a href=
+ "actions-file.html">the Actions section</a>.</p>
+
+ <p>For advanced users who want to hand edit their config files, you
+ might want to now go to the <a href=
+ "actions-file.html#ACT-EXAMPLES">Actions Files Tutorial</a>. The ideas
+ explained therein also apply to the web-based editor.</p>
+
+ <p>There are also various <a href=
+ "actions-file.html#FILTER">filters</a> that can be used for ad blocking
+ (filters are a special subset of actions). These fall into the
+ <span class="QUOTE">"advanced"</span> usage category, and are explained
+ in depth in later sections.</p>
+ </div>
+ </div>
+
+ <div class="NAVFOOTER">
+ <hr align="left" width="100%">
+
+ <table summary="Footer navigation table" width="100%" border="0"
+ cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0">
+ <tr>
+ <td width="33%" align="left" valign="top"><a href="whatsnew.html"
+ accesskey="P">Prev</a></td>
+
+ <td width="34%" align="center" valign="top"><a href="index.html"
+ accesskey="H">Home</a></td>
+
+ <td width="33%" align="right" valign="top"><a href="startup.html"
+ accesskey="N">Next</a></td>
+ </tr>
+
+ <tr>
+ <td width="33%" align="left" valign="top">What's New in this
+ Release</td>
+
+ <td width="34%" align="center" valign="top"> </td>
+
+ <td width="33%" align="right" valign="top">Starting Privoxy</td>
+ </tr>
+ </table>
+ </div>
+</body>
+</html>
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