By: Privoxy Developers
-$Id: developer-manual.sgml,v 1.15 2002/03/30 22:29:47 swa Exp $
+$Id: developer-manual.sgml,v 1.18 2002/04/03 03:51:48 hal9 Exp $
The developer manual gives the users information on how to help the developer
team. It provides guidance on coding, testing, documentation and other issues.
Privoxy is based on the code of the Internet Junkbuster. Junkbuster 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. Other developers
-have since joined Stefan.
+and started the SourceForge project to continue development.
-You can find the latest version of the user manual at http://www.privoxy.org/
-developer-manual/. Please see the Contact section in the user-manual if you
-want to contact the developers.
+Privoxy continues the Junkbuster tradition, but adds many refinements and
+enhancements.
+
+You can find the latest version of the this manual at http://www.privoxy.org/
+developer-manual/. Please see the Contact section of the User Manual on how to
+contact the developers.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7. Releasing a new version
- 7.1. Update the webserver
- 7.2. SuSE or RedHat
- 7.3. OS/2
- 7.4. Solaris
- 7.5. Windows
- 7.6. Debian
- 7.7. Mac OSX
- 7.8. FreeBSD
- 7.9. Tarball
- 7.10. HP-UX 11
- 7.11. Amiga OS
- 7.12. AIX
+ 7.1. Before the Release
+ 7.2. Update the webserver
+ 7.3. SuSE or Red Hat
+ 7.4. OS/2
+ 7.5. Solaris
+ 7.6. Windows
+ 7.7. Debian
+ 7.8. Mac OSX
+ 7.9. FreeBSD
+ 7.10. Tarball
+ 7.11. HP-UX 11
+ 7.12. Amiga OS
+ 7.13. AIX
8. Contact the developers
9. Copyright and History
2. Quickstart to Privoxy Development
You'll need an account on Sourceforge to support our development. Mail your ID
-to the list and wait until a project manager has added you. For the time beeing
-(read, this section is under construction), please note the following
-guidelines for changing stuff in the code. If it is
+to the list and wait until a project manager has added you.
+
+For the time being (read, this section is under construction), please note the
+following guidelines for changing stuff in the code. If it is
1. A bugfix / clean-up / cosmetic thing: shoot
build docs from source. Currently there is user-manual, FAQ, and, of course
this, the developer-manual in this format.
+Other, less formal documents (e.g. README, LICENSE) are maintained as plain
+text files in the toplevel source directory.
+
Packagers are encouraged to include this documentation. For those without the
ability to build the docs locally, text versions of each are kept in CVS. Or
HTML versions can be downloaded from the www.privoxy.org website, which should
be fairly current.
-Documents are built with the Makefile targets of make dok, or alternately make
-redhat-dok. If you have problems, try both. The build process uses the document
-SGML sources in doc/source to update all text files in doc/text and to update
-all HTML documents in doc/webserver.
+Formal documents are built with the Makefile targets of make dok, or
+alternately make redhat-dok. If you have problems, try both. The build process
+uses the document SGML sources in doc/source to update all text files in doc/
+text and to update all HTML documents in doc/webserver.
Documentation writers should please make sure documents build successfully
before committing to CVS.
Example for file comments:
-const char FILENAME_rcs[] = "$Id: developer-manual.sgml,v 1.15 2002/03/30 22:29:47 swa Exp $";
-/*********************************************************************
- *
- * File : $Source$
- *
- * Purpose : (Fill me in with a good description!)
- *
- * Copyright : Written by and Copyright (C) 2001 the SourceForge
- * Privoxy team. http://www.privoxy.org/
- *
- * Based on the Internet Junkbuster originally written
- * by and Copyright (C) 1997 Anonymous Coders and
- * Junkbusters Corporation. http://www.junkbusters.com
- *
- * This program is free software; you can redistribute it
- * and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General
- * Public License as published by the Free Software
- * Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or (at
- * your option) any later version.
- *
- * This program is distributed in the hope that it will
- * be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the
- * implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A
- * PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU General Public
- * License for more details.
- *
- * The GNU General Public License should be included with
- * this file. If not, you can view it at
- * http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html
- * or write to the Free Software Foundation, Inc., 59
- * Temple Place - Suite 330, Boston, MA 02111-1307, USA.
- *
- * Revisions :
- * $Log$
- *
- *********************************************************************/
-
-
-#include "config.h"
-
- ...necessary include files for us to do our work...
-
-const char FILENAME_h_rcs[] = FILENAME_H_VERSION;
+const char FILENAME_rcs[] = "$Id: developer-manual.sgml,v 1.18 2002/04/03 03:51:48 hal9 Exp $";
+/*********************************************************************
+ *
+ * File : $Source$
+ *
+ * Purpose : (Fill me in with a good description!)
+ *
+ * Copyright : Written by and Copyright (C) 2001 the SourceForge
+ * Privoxy team. http://www.privoxy.org/
+ *
+ * Based on the Internet Junkbuster originally written
+ * by and Copyright (C) 1997 Anonymous Coders and
+ * Junkbusters Corporation. http://www.junkbusters.com
+ *
+ * This program is free software; you can redistribute it
+ * and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General
+ * Public License as published by the Free Software
+ * Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or (at
+ * your option) any later version.
+ *
+ * This program is distributed in the hope that it will
+ * be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the
+ * implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A
+ * PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU General Public
+ * License for more details.
+ *
+ * The GNU General Public License should be included with
+ * this file. If not, you can view it at
+ * http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html
+ * or write to the Free Software Foundation, Inc., 59
+ * Temple Place - Suite 330, Boston, MA 02111-1307, USA.
+ *
+ * Revisions :
+ * $Log$
+ *
+ *********************************************************************/
+
+
+#include "config.h"
+
+ ...necessary include files for us to do our work...
+
+const char FILENAME_h_rcs[] = FILENAME_H_VERSION;
Note: This declares the rcs variables that should be added to the
"show-proxy-args" page. If this is a brand new creation by you, you are free to
Example for file header comments:
-#ifndef _FILENAME_H
-#define _FILENAME_H
-#define FILENAME_H_VERSION "$Id: developer-manual.sgml,v 1.15 2002/03/30 22:29:47 swa Exp $"
-/*********************************************************************
- *
- * File : $Source$
- *
- * Purpose : (Fill me in with a good description!)
- *
- * Copyright : Written by and Copyright (C) 2001 the SourceForge
- * Privoxy team. http://www.privoxy.org/
- *
- * Based on the Internet Junkbuster originally written
- * by and Copyright (C) 1997 Anonymous Coders and
- * Junkbusters Corporation. http://www.junkbusters.com
- *
- * This program is free software; you can redistribute it
- * and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General
- * Public License as published by the Free Software
- * Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or (at
- * your option) any later version.
- *
- * This program is distributed in the hope that it will
- * be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the
- * implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A
- * PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU General Public
- * License for more details.
- *
- * The GNU General Public License should be included with
- * this file. If not, you can view it at
- * http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html
- * or write to the Free Software Foundation, Inc., 59
- * Temple Place - Suite 330, Boston, MA 02111-1307, USA.
- *
- * Revisions :
- * $Log$
- *
- *********************************************************************/
-
-
-#include "project.h"
-
-#ifdef __cplusplus
-extern "C" {
-#endif
-
- ... function headers here ...
-
-
-/* Revision control strings from this header and associated .c file */
-extern const char FILENAME_rcs[];
-extern const char FILENAME_h_rcs[];
-
-
-#ifdef __cplusplus
-} /* extern "C" */
-#endif
-
-#endif /* ndef _FILENAME_H */
-
-/*
- Local Variables:
- tab-width: 3
- end:
-*/
+#ifndef _FILENAME_H
+#define _FILENAME_H
+#define FILENAME_H_VERSION "$Id: developer-manual.sgml,v 1.18 2002/04/03 03:51:48 hal9 Exp $"
+/*********************************************************************
+ *
+ * File : $Source$
+ *
+ * Purpose : (Fill me in with a good description!)
+ *
+ * Copyright : Written by and Copyright (C) 2001 the SourceForge
+ * Privoxy team. http://www.privoxy.org/
+ *
+ * Based on the Internet Junkbuster originally written
+ * by and Copyright (C) 1997 Anonymous Coders and
+ * Junkbusters Corporation. http://www.junkbusters.com
+ *
+ * This program is free software; you can redistribute it
+ * and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General
+ * Public License as published by the Free Software
+ * Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or (at
+ * your option) any later version.
+ *
+ * This program is distributed in the hope that it will
+ * be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the
+ * implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A
+ * PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU General Public
+ * License for more details.
+ *
+ * The GNU General Public License should be included with
+ * this file. If not, you can view it at
+ * http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html
+ * or write to the Free Software Foundation, Inc., 59
+ * Temple Place - Suite 330, Boston, MA 02111-1307, USA.
+ *
+ * Revisions :
+ * $Log$
+ *
+ *********************************************************************/
+
+
+#include "project.h"
+
+#ifdef __cplusplus
+extern "C" {
+#endif
+
+ ... function headers here ...
+
+
+/* Revision control strings from this header and associated .c file */
+extern const char FILENAME_rcs[];
+extern const char FILENAME_h_rcs[];
+
+
+#ifdef __cplusplus
+} /* extern "C" */
+#endif
+
+#endif /* ndef _FILENAME_H */
+
+/*
+ Local Variables:
+ tab-width: 3
+ end:
+*/
Example for function comments:
5. Version Control Guidelines
-To be filled. note on cvs comments. don't comment what you did, comment why you
-did it.
+To be filled. note on cvs comments. Don't only comment what you did, but also
+why you did it!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7. Releasing a new version
-To minimize trouble with distribution contents, webpage errors and the like, I
-(Stefan) strongly encourage you to follow this section if you prepare a new
-release of code or new pages on the webserver.
+To minimize trouble with distribution contents, webpage errors and the like, we
+strongly encourage you to follow this section if you prepare a new release of
+code or new pages on the webserver.
The following programs are required to follow this process: ncftpput (ncftp),
-scp (ssh), gmake (GNU's version of make), ???.
+scp (ssh), gmake (GNU's version of make), autoconf, cvs, ???.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-7.1. Update the webserver
+7.1. Before the Release
+
+The following must be done by one of the developers prior to each new release:
+
+ * Make sure that everybody who has worked on the code in the last couple of
+ days has had a chance to yell "no!" in case they have pending changes/fixes
+ in their pipelines.
+
+ * Increment the version number in configure.in in CVS. Also, the RPM release
+ number in configure.in. Do NOT touch version information after export from
+ CVS. All packages will use the version and release data from configure.in.
+ Local files should not be changed, except prior to a CVS commit!!! This way
+ we are all on the same page!
+
+ * If the default actionsfile has changed since last release, bump up its
+ version info in this line:
+
+ {+add-header{X-Actions-File-Version: A.B} -filter -no-popups}
+
+
+ Then change the version info in doc/webserver/actions/index.php, line:
+ '$required_actions_file_version = "A.B";'
+
+ * Tag all files in CVS with the version number with "cvs tag v_X_Y_Z" (where
+ X = major, Y = minor, Z = point). Don't use vX_Y_Z, ver_X_Y_Z, v_X.Y.Z
+ (won't work) etc.
+
+ * The first package uploaded should be the official "tarball" release. This
+ is built with the "make tarball-dist" Makefile target, and then can be
+ uploaded with "make tarball-upload" (see below).
+
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+7.2. Update the webserver
All files must be group-readable and group-writable (or no one else will be
able to change them). To update the webserver, create any pages locally in the
doc/webserver directory (or create new directories under doc/webserver), then
do
- make webserver
+ make webserver
-Note that make dok creates doc/webserver/user-manual, doc/webserver/
-developer-manual, doc/webserver/faq and doc/webserver/man-page automatically.
+Note that "make dok" (or "make redhat-dok") creates doc/webserver/user-manual,
+doc/webserver/developer-manual, doc/webserver/faq and doc/webserver/man-page
+automatically.
-Verify on the webserver that the permissions are set correctly. Do NOT use any
-other means of transferring files to the webserver.
+Please do NOT use any other means of transferring files to the webserver. "make
+webserver" not only uploads, but will make sure that the appropriate
+permissions are preserved for shared group access.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-7.2. SuSE or RedHat
+7.3. SuSE or Red Hat
-Ensure that you have the latest code version. Hence run
+Ensure that you have the latest code version. Hence run:
- cvs update .
-
+ cd current
+ cvs -d:pserver:anonymous@cvs.ijbswa.sourceforge.net:/cvsroot/ijbswa login
+ cvs -z3 -d:pserver:anonymous@cvs.ijbswa.sourceforge.net:/cvsroot/ijbswa export -r v_X_Y_Z current
+
-first. If necessary, change the version number of Privoxy in the configure.in
-file. Update the release number directly in the specific spec file
-(particularly, set the release number to 1 if you have increased the version
-number before). Run
+first.
- autoheader && autoconf && ./configure
+ autoheader && autoconf && ./configure
Then do
- make suse-dist or make redhat-dist
+ make suse-dist or make redhat-dist
To upload the package to Sourceforge, simply issue
- make suse-upload or make redhat-upload
+ make suse-upload or make redhat-upload
-Goto the displayed URL and release the file publically on Sourceforge.
+Go to the displayed URL and release the file publicly on Sourceforge.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-7.3. OS/2
+7.4. OS/2
-Ensure that you have the latest code version. Hence run
+Ensure that you have the latest code version. Hence run:
- cvs update .
-
+ cd current
+ cvs -d:pserver:anonymous@cvs.ijbswa.sourceforge.net:/cvsroot/ijbswa login
+ cvs -z3 -d:pserver:anonymous@cvs.ijbswa.sourceforge.net:/cvsroot/ijbswa export -r v_X_Y_Z current
+
-first. If necessary, change the version number of Privoxy in the configure.in
-file. Run
+first.
- autoheader && autoconf && ./configure
+ autoheader && autoconf && ./configure
Then do FIXME.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-7.4. Solaris
+7.5. Solaris
Login to Sourceforge's compilefarm via ssh
- ssh cf.sourceforge.net
+ ssh cf.sourceforge.net
Choose the right operating system (not the Debian one). If you have downloaded
Privoxy before,
- cd current && cvs update .
-
+ cd current
+ cvs -d:pserver:anonymous@cvs.ijbswa.sourceforge.net:/cvsroot/ijbswa login
+ cvs -z3 -d:pserver:anonymous@cvs.ijbswa.sourceforge.net:/cvsroot/ijbswa export -r v_X_Y_Z current
+
-If not, please checkout Privoxy via CVS first. Verify the version number in
-configure.in. If necessary, change the version number. Run
+If not, please checkout Privoxy via CVS first. Run:
- autoheader && autoconf && ./configure
+ autoheader && autoconf && ./configure
Then run
- gmake solaris-dist
+ gmake solaris-dist
which creates a gzip'ed tar archive. Sadly, you cannot use make solaris-upload
on the Sourceforge machine (no ncftpput). You now have to manually upload the
-archive to Sourceforge's ftp server and release the file publically
+archive to Sourceforge's ftp server and release the file publicly.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-7.5. Windows
+7.6. Windows
Ensure that you have the latest code version. Hence run
- cvs update .
-
+ cd current
+ cvs -d:pserver:anonymous@cvs.ijbswa.sourceforge.net:/cvsroot/ijbswa login
+ cvs -z3 -d:pserver:anonymous@cvs.ijbswa.sourceforge.net:/cvsroot/ijbswa export -r v_X_Y_Z current
+
-first. If necessary, change the version number of Privoxy in the configure.in
-file. Run
+Run:
- autoheader && autoconf && ./configure
+ autoheader && autoconf && ./configure
Then do FIXME.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-7.6. Debian
+7.7. Debian
-Ensure that you have the latest code version. Hence run
+Ensure that you have the latest code version. Hence run:
- cvs update .
-
+ cd current
+ cvs -d:pserver:anonymous@cvs.ijbswa.sourceforge.net:/cvsroot/ijbswa login
+ cvs -z3 -d:pserver:anonymous@cvs.ijbswa.sourceforge.net:/cvsroot/ijbswa export -r v_X_Y_Z current
+
-first. If necessary, change the version number of Privoxy in the configure.in
-file. Run
+first. Run:
- autoheader && autoconf && ./configure
+ autoheader && autoconf && ./configure
Then do FIXME.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-7.7. Mac OSX
+7.8. Mac OSX
Login to Sourceforge's compilefarm via ssh
- ssh cf.sourceforge.net
+ ssh cf.sourceforge.net
Choose the right operating system. If you have downloaded Privoxy before,
- cd current && cvs update .
-
+ cd current
+ cvs -d:pserver:anonymous@cvs.ijbswa.sourceforge.net:/cvsroot/ijbswa login
+ cvs -z3 -d:pserver:anonymous@cvs.ijbswa.sourceforge.net:/cvsroot/ijbswa export -r v_X_Y_Z current
+
-If not, please checkout Privoxy via CVS first. Verify the version number in
-configure.in. If necessary, change the version number. Run
+If not, please checkout Privoxy via CVS first. Run:
- autoheader && autoconf && ./configure
+ autoheader && autoconf && ./configure
-Then run
+Then run:
- make macosx-dist
+ make macosx-dist
which creates a gzip'ed tar archive. Sadly, you cannot use make macosx-upload
on the Sourceforge machine (no ncftpput). You now have to manually upload the
-archive to Sourceforge's ftp server and release the file publically
+archive to Sourceforge's ftp server and release the file publicly.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-7.8. FreeBSD
+7.9. FreeBSD
-Change the version number of Privoxy in the configure.in file. Run
+Change the version number of Privoxy in the configure.in file. Run:
- autoheader && autoconf && ./configure
+ autoheader && autoconf && ./configure
Then ...
-Login to Sourceforge's compilefarm via ssh
+Login to Sourceforge's compilefarm via ssh:
- ssh cf.sourceforge.net
+ ssh cf.sourceforge.net
Choose the right operating system. If you have downloaded Privoxy before,
- cd current && cvs update .
-
+ cd current
+ cvs -d:pserver:anonymous@cvs.ijbswa.sourceforge.net:/cvsroot/ijbswa login
+ cvs -z3 -d:pserver:anonymous@cvs.ijbswa.sourceforge.net:/cvsroot/ijbswa export -r v_X_Y_Z current
+
-If not, please checkout Privoxy via CVS first. Verify the version number in
-configure.in. If necessary, change the version number. Run
+If not, please checkout Privoxy via CVS first. Run:
- autoheader && autoconf && ./configure
+ autoheader && autoconf && ./configure
-Then run
+Then run:
- gmake freebsd-dist
+ gmake freebsd-dist
which creates a gzip'ed tar archive. Sadly, you cannot use make freebsd-upload
on the Sourceforge machine (no ncftpput). You now have to manually upload the
-archive to Sourceforge's ftp server and release the file publically
+archive to Sourceforge's ftp server and release the file publicly.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-7.9. Tarball
+7.10. Tarball
-Ensure that you have the latest code version. Hence run
+Ensure that you have the latest code version. Hence run:
- cvs update .
-
+ cd current
+ cvs -d:pserver:anonymous@cvs.ijbswa.sourceforge.net:/cvsroot/ijbswa login
+ cvs -z3 -d:pserver:anonymous@cvs.ijbswa.sourceforge.net:/cvsroot/ijbswa export -r v_X_Y_Z current
+
-first. If necessary, change the version number of Privoxy in the configure.in
-file. Run
+first. Run:
- make clobber
- autoheader && autoconf && ./configure
+ make clobber
+ autoheader && autoconf && ./configure
-Then do
+Then do:
- make tarball-dist
+ make tarball-dist
To upload the package to Sourceforge, simply issue
- make tarball-upload
+ make tarball-upload
-Goto the displayed URL and release the file publically on Sourceforge.
+Goto the displayed URL and release the file publicly on Sourceforge.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-7.10. HP-UX 11
+7.11. HP-UX 11
-Ensure that you have the latest code version. Hence run
+Ensure that you have the latest code version. Hence run:
- cvs update .
-
+ cd current
+ cvs -d:pserver:anonymous@cvs.ijbswa.sourceforge.net:/cvsroot/ijbswa login
+ cvs -z3 -d:pserver:anonymous@cvs.ijbswa.sourceforge.net:/cvsroot/ijbswa export -r v_X_Y_Z current
+
-first. If necessary, change the version number of Privoxy in the configure.in
-file. Run
+first. Run:
- autoheader && autoconf && ./configure
+ autoheader && autoconf && ./configure
Then do FIXME.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-7.11. Amiga OS
+7.12. Amiga OS
-Ensure that you have the latest code version. Hence run
+Ensure that you have the latest code version. Hence run:
- cvs update .
-
+ cd current
+ cvs -d:pserver:anonymous@cvs.ijbswa.sourceforge.net:/cvsroot/ijbswa login
+ cvs -z3 -d:pserver:anonymous@cvs.ijbswa.sourceforge.net:/cvsroot/ijbswa export -r v_X_Y_Z current
+
-first. If necessary, change the version number of Privoxy in the configure.in
-file. Run
+first. Run:
- autoheader && autoconf && ./configure
+ autoheader && autoconf && ./configure
Then do FIXME.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-7.12. AIX
+7.13. AIX
-Login to Sourceforge's compilefarm via ssh
+Login to Sourceforge's compilefarm via ssh:
- ssh cf.sourceforge.net
+ ssh cf.sourceforge.net
-Choose the right operating system. If you have downloaded Privoxy before,
+Choose the right operating system. If you have downloaded Privoxy before:
- cd current && cvs update .
-
+ cd current
+ cvs -d:pserver:anonymous@cvs.ijbswa.sourceforge.net:/cvsroot/ijbswa login
+ cvs -z3 -d:pserver:anonymous@cvs.ijbswa.sourceforge.net:/cvsroot/ijbswa export -r v_X_Y_Z current
+
-If not, please checkout Privoxy via CVS first. Verify the version number in
-configure.in. If necessary, change the version number. Run
+If not, please checkout Privoxy via CVS first. Run:
- autoheader && autoconf && ./configure
+ autoheader && autoconf && ./configure
-Then run
+Then run:
- make aix-dist
+ make aix-dist
which creates a gzip'ed tar archive. Sadly, you cannot use make aix-upload on
the Sourceforge machine (no ncftpput). You now have to manually upload the
-archive to Sourceforge's ftp server and release the file publically
+archive to Sourceforge's ftp server and release the file publicly.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By: Privoxy Developers
-$Id: faq.sgml,v 1.35 2002/03/30 04:14:19 hal9 Exp $
+$Id: faq.sgml,v 1.38 2002/04/02 03:49:10 hal9 Exp $
This FAQ gives users and developers alike answers to frequently asked questions
about Privoxy.
open-source software under the GNU GPL. Stefan Waldherr made many improvements,
and started the SourceForge project to continue development.
+Privoxy continues the Junkbuster tradition, but adds many refinements and
+enhancements.
+
You can find the latest version of the document at http://www.privoxy.org/faq/.
Please see the Contact section in the user-manual if you want to contact the
developers.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Table of Contents
-1. Frequently Asked Questions
+
+1. General Information
- 1.1. General Information
-
- 1.1.1. What is this new version of Privoxy?
- 1.1.2. Why "Privoxy"? Why a name change at all?
- 1.1.3. How does Privoxy differ from the old Junkbuster?
- 1.1.4. What are some of the new features?
- 1.1.5. What is a "proxy"? How does Privoxy work?
- 1.1.6. How does Privoxy know what is an ad, and what is not?
- 1.1.7. Can Privoxy make mistakes? This does not sound very scientific.
- 1.1.8. My browser does the same things as Privoxy. Why should I use
- Privoxy at all?
- 1.1.9. Is there is a license or fee? What about a warranty?
- Registration?
- 1.1.10. I would like to help you, what do I do?
-
- 1.2. Installation
-
- 1.2.1. Which browsers are supported by Privoxy?
- 1.2.2. Which operating systems are supported?
- 1.2.3. Can I install Privoxy over Junkbuster?
- 1.2.4. I just installed Privoxy. Is there anything special I have to do
- now?
- 1.2.5. What is the proxy address of Privoxy?
- 1.2.6. I just installed Privoxy, and nothing is happening. All the ads
- are there. What's wrong?
-
- 1.3. Configuration
-
- 1.3.1. Can I use my old config files?
- 1.3.2. What is an "actions" file?
- 1.3.3. The "actions"concept confuses me. Please list some of these
- "actions".
- 1.3.4. How are actions files configured? What is the easiest way to do
- this?
- 1.3.5. What are the differences between intermediate.action,
- basic.action, etc.?
- 1.3.6. Why can I change the configuration with a browser? Does that not
- raise security issues?
- 1.3.7. What is "default.filter"?
- 1.3.8. How can I set up Privoxy to act as a proxy for my LAN?
- 1.3.9. Instead of ads, now I get a checkerboard pattern. I don't want
- to see anything.
- 1.3.10. Why would anybody want to see a checkerboard pattern?
- 1.3.11. I see large red banners on some pages that say "Blocked". Why
- and how do I get rid of this?
- 1.3.12. I cannot see all of the "Blocked" page banner. All I see is a
- bright red square.
- 1.3.13. How can I make Privoxy work with other proxies like Squid?
+ 1.1. What is this new version of Privoxy?
+ 1.2. Why "Privoxy"? Why a name change at all?
+ 1.3. How does Privoxy differ from the old Junkbuster?
+ 1.4. What are some of the new features?
+ 1.5. What is a "proxy"? How does Privoxy work?
+ 1.6. How does Privoxy know what is an ad, and what is not?
+ 1.7. Can Privoxy make mistakes? This does not sound very scientific.
+ 1.8. My browser does the same things as Privoxy. Why should I use Privoxy
+ at all?
+ 1.9. Is there is a license or fee? What about a warranty? Registration?
+ 1.10. I would like to help you, what do I do?
- 1.4. Miscellaneous
+ 1.10.1. Money Money Money
+ 1.10.2. You want to work with us?
- 1.4.1. How much does Privoxy slow my browsing down? This has to add
- extra time to browsing.
- 1.4.2. I noticed considerable delays in page requests compared to the
- old Junkbuster. What's wrong?
- 1.4.3. What is the "http://p.p/"?
- 1.4.4. Do you still maintain the blocklists?
- 1.4.5. How can I submit new ads?
- 1.4.6. How can I hide my IP address?
- 1.4.7. Can Privoxy guarantee I am anonymous?
- 1.4.8. Might some things break because header information is being
- altered?
- 1.4.9. Can Privoxy act as a "caching" proxy to speed up web browsing?
- 1.4.10. What about as a firewall? Can Privoxy protect me?
- 1.4.11. The Privoxy logo that replaces ads is very blocky and ugly
- looking. Can't a better font be used?
- 1.4.12. I have large empty spaces now where ads used to be. Why?
- 1.4.13. How can Privoxy filter Secure (HTTPS) URLs?
- 1.4.14. Privoxy runs as a "server". How secure is it? Do I need to take
- any special precautions?
- 1.4.15. How can I temporarily disable Privoxy?
-
- 1.5. Troubleshooting
-
- 1.5.1. I just upgraded and am getting "connection refused" with every
- web page?
- 1.5.2. I just added a new rule, but the steenkin ad is still getting
- through. How?
- 1.5.3. One of my favorite sites does not work with Privoxy. What can I
- do?
- 1.5.4. Where can I get help? Report bugs? Feature Requests? Etc?
- 1.5.5. What time is it?
-
-2. Copyright and History
-3. See also
-
-1. Frequently Asked Questions
+2. Installation
+
+ 2.1. Which browsers are supported by Privoxy?
+ 2.2. Which operating systems are supported?
+ 2.3. Can I install Privoxy over Junkbuster?
+ 2.4. I just installed Privoxy. Is there anything special I have to do now?
+ 2.5. What is the proxy address of Privoxy?
+ 2.6. I just installed Privoxy, and nothing is happening. All the ads are
+ there. What's wrong?
+
+3. Configuration
+
+ 3.1. Can I use my old config files?
+ 3.2. What is an "actions" file?
+ 3.3. The "actions"concept confuses me. Please list some of these "actions".
+ 3.4. How are actions files configured? What is the easiest way to do this?
+ 3.5. What are the differences between intermediate.action, basic.action,
+ etc.?
+ 3.6. Why can I change the configuration with a browser? Does that not raise
+ security issues?
+ 3.7. What is "default.filter"?
+ 3.8. How can I set up Privoxy to act as a proxy for my LAN?
+ 3.9. Instead of ads, now I get a checkerboard pattern. I don't want to see
+ anything.
+ 3.10. Why would anybody want to see a checkerboard pattern?
+ 3.11. I see large red banners on some pages that say "Blocked". Why and how
+ do I get rid of this?
+ 3.12. I cannot see all of the "Blocked" page banner. All I see is a bright
+ red square.
+ 3.13. How can I make Privoxy work with other proxies like Squid?
+
+4. Miscellaneous
+
+ 4.1. How much does Privoxy slow my browsing down? This has to add extra
+ time to browsing.
+ 4.2. I noticed considerable delays in page requests compared to the old
+ Junkbuster. What's wrong?
+ 4.3. What is the "http://p.p/"?
+ 4.4. Do you still maintain the blocklists?
+ 4.5. How can I submit new ads?
+ 4.6. How can I hide my IP address?
+ 4.7. Can Privoxy guarantee I am anonymous?
+ 4.8. Might some things break because header information is being altered?
+ 4.9. Can Privoxy act as a "caching" proxy to speed up web browsing?
+ 4.10. What about as a firewall? Can Privoxy protect me?
+ 4.11. The Privoxy logo that replaces ads is very blocky and ugly looking.
+ Can't a better font be used?
+ 4.12. I have large empty spaces now where ads used to be. Why?
+ 4.13. How can Privoxy filter Secure (HTTPS) URLs?
+ 4.14. Privoxy runs as a "server". How secure is it? Do I need to take any
+ special precautions?
+ 4.15. How can I temporarily disable Privoxy?
+ 4.16. Where can I find more information about Privoxy and related issues?
+
+5. Troubleshooting
+
+ 5.1. I just upgraded and am getting "connection refused" with every web
+ page?
+ 5.2. I just added a new rule, but the steenkin ad is still getting through.
+ How?
+ 5.3. One of my favorite sites does not work with Privoxy. What can I do?
+ 5.4. Where can I get help? Report bugs? Feature Requests? Etc?
+ 5.5. What time is it?
+
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-1.1. General Information
+1. General Information
-1.1.1. What is this new version of Privoxy?
+1.1. What is this new version of Privoxy?
-The original Internet Junkbuster (tm) is a copyrighted product of Junkbusters
+The original Internet JunkbusterTM (tm) is a copyrighted product of Junkbusters
Corporation. Development of this effort stopped some time ago as of version
2.0.2. Stefan Waldherr started the ijbswa project on Sourceforge to rekindle
development. Other developers subsequently joined with Stefan, and have since
added many new features, refinements and enhancements. The result of this
effort is Privoxy.
-Privoxy started with the Junkbuster 2.0.2 code base, but has advanced
+Privoxy has evolved from the Junkbuster 2.0.2 code base, and has advanced
significantly at this point.
+Please see the user-manual for more information on the history of Junkbuster
+and Privoxy.
+
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-1.1.2. Why "Privoxy"? Why a name change at all?
+1.2. Why "Privoxy"? Why a name change at all?
Privoxy is the "Privacy Enhancing Proxy".
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.
+own right, especially now with the pending release of version 3.0.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-1.1.3. How does Privoxy differ from the old Junkbuster?
+1.3. How does Privoxy differ from the old Junkbuster?
Privoxy picks up where Junkbuster left off. All the old features remain. The
new Privoxy still blocks ads and banners, still manages cookies, and still
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-1.1.4. What are some of the new features?
+1.4. What are some of the new features?
* Integrated browser based configuration and control utility (http://p.p).
Browser-based tracing of rule and filter effects.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-1.1.5. What is a "proxy"? How does Privoxy work?
+1.5. What is a "proxy"? How does Privoxy work?
When you connect to a web site with Privoxy, you are really connecting to your
locally running version of Privoxy. Privoxy intercepts your requests for the
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-1.1.6. How does Privoxy know what is an ad, and what is not?
+1.6. How does Privoxy know what is an ad, and what is not?
Privoxy processes all the raw content of every web page. So it reads everything
on each page. It then compares this to the rules as set up in the configuration
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-1.1.7. Can Privoxy make mistakes? This does not sound very scientific.
+1.7. Can Privoxy make mistakes? This does not sound very scientific.
Actually, it's a black art ;-) And yes, it is always possible to have a broad
rule accidentally block something by mistake. There is a good chance you may
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-1.1.8. My browser does the same things as Privoxy. Why should I use Privoxy at
+1.8. My browser does the same things as Privoxy. Why should I use Privoxy at
all?
Modern browsers do indeed have some of the same functionality as Privoxy. Maybe
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-1.1.9. Is there is a license or fee? What about a warranty? Registration?
+1.9. Is there is a license or fee? What about a warranty? Registration?
Privoxy 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 http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html for specifics.
+Please see the user-manual for more information on the license and copyright.
There is no warranty of any kind, expressed, implied or otherwise. That is
something that would cost real money ;-) There is no registration either.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-1.1.10. I would like to help you, what do I do?
+1.10. I would like to help you, what do I do?
-1.1.10.1. Money Money Money
+1.10.1. Money Money Money
We, of course, welcome donations and use the money for domain registering,
regular world-wide get-togethers (hahaha). Anyway, we'll soon describe the
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-1.1.10.2. You want to work with us?
+1.10.2. You want to work with us?
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
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-1.2. Installation
+2. Installation
-1.2.1. Which browsers are supported by Privoxy?
+2.1. Which browsers are supported by Privoxy?
Any browser that can be configured to use a "proxy", which should be virtually
all browsers. Direct browser support is not necessary since Privoxy runs as a
-separate application and just exchanges standard HTML data with your browser.
+separate application and just exchanges standard HTML data with your browser,
+just like a web server does.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-1.2.2. Which operating systems are supported?
+2.2. Which operating systems are supported?
+
+At present, Privoxy is known to run on Win32, Mac OSX, OS/2, AmigaOS, Linux,
+and many flavors of Unix. There are releases for these available for download
+at http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=11118.
-Right now Win32, Mac OSX, OS/2, AmigaOS, Linux, and many flavors of Unix.
+But any operating system that runs TCP/IP, can conceivably take advantage of
+Privoxy in a networked situation where Privoxy would run as a server on a LAN
+gateway. Then only the "gateway" needs to be running one of the above operating
+systems.
-Source code is available, so porting to other operating systems, is always a
-possibility.
+Source code is freely available, so porting to other operating systems, is
+always a possibility.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-1.2.3. Can I install Privoxy over Junkbuster?
+2.3. Can I install Privoxy over Junkbuster?
We recommend you uninstall Junkbuster first to minimize conflicts and
confusion. You may want to save your old configuration files for future
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-1.2.4. I just installed Privoxy. Is there anything special I have to do now?
+2.4. I just installed Privoxy. Is there anything special I have to do now?
All browsers must be told to use Privoxy as a proxy by specifying the correct
proxy address and port number in the appropriate configuration area for the
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-1.2.5. What is the proxy address of Privoxy?
+2.5. What is the proxy address of Privoxy?
If you set up the Privoxy 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
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-1.2.6. I just installed Privoxy, and nothing is happening. All the ads are
-there. What's wrong?
+2.6. I just installed Privoxy, and nothing is happening. All the ads are there.
+What's wrong?
Did you configure your browser to use Privoxy as a proxy? It does not sound
like it. See above. You might also try flushing the browser's caches to force a
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-1.3. Configuration
+3. Configuration
-1.3.1. Can I use my old config files?
+3.1. Can I use my old config files?
There are major changes to Junkbuster, Privoxy, configuration from version
2.0.x to 2.9.x and later. Most of the older files will not work at all. This is
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-1.3.2. What is an "actions" file?
+3.2. What is an "actions" file?
"actions" files are where various actions that Privoxy might take, are
configured. Typically, you would define a set of default actions that apply to
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-1.3.3. The "actions"concept confuses me. Please list some of these "actions".
+3.3. The "actions"concept confuses me. Please list some of these "actions".
These are all explained in the user-manual. Please refer to that.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-1.3.4. How are actions files configured? What is the easiest way to do this?
+3.4. How are actions files configured? What is the easiest way to do this?
The easiest way to do this, is to access Privoxy with your web browser at http:
//p.p/, and then select "Edit the actions list" from the selection list. You
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-1.3.5. What are the differences between intermediate.action, basic.action,
-etc.?
+3.5. What are the differences between intermediate.action, basic.action, etc.?
Configuring Privoxy is not easy. To help you get started, we provide you with
three different default configurations. The following table shows you, which
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-1.3.6. Why can I change the configuration with a browser? Does that not raise
+3.6. Why can I change the configuration with a browser? Does that not raise
security issues?
What I don't understand, is how I can browser edit the config file as a regular
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-1.3.7. What is "default.filter"?
+3.7. What is "default.filter"?
The "default.filter" file is used to "filter" any web page content. By
"filtering" we mean it can modify, remove, or change anything on the page,
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-1.3.8. How can I set up Privoxy to act as a proxy for my LAN?
+3.8. How can I set up Privoxy to act as a proxy for my LAN?
By default, Privoxy 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
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-1.3.9. Instead of ads, now I get a checkerboard pattern. I don't want to see
+3.9. Instead of ads, now I get a checkerboard pattern. I don't want to see
anything.
This is a configuration option for images that Privoxy is stopping. You have
If you want to see nothing, then change the "+image-blocker" action to
"+image-blocker{blank}". This can be done from the "Edit Actions List"
selection at http://p.p/. Or by hand editing the appropriate actions file. This
-will only effect what is defined as "images" though. Also, any URLs that
+will only effect what is defined as "images" though. Also, some URLs that
generate the bright red "Blocked" banner, can be moved to the "+image-blocker"
-section for the same reason.
+section for the same reason, but there are some limits and risks to this (see
+below).
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-1.3.10. Why would anybody want to see a checkerboard pattern?
+3.10. Why would anybody want to see a checkerboard pattern?
This can be helpful for troubleshooting problems. It might also be good for
anyone new to Privoxy so that they can see if their favorite pages are
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-1.3.11. I see large red banners on some pages that say "Blocked". Why and how
-do I get rid of this?
+3.11. I see large red banners on some pages that say "Blocked". Why and how do
+I get rid of this?
These are URLs that match something in one of Privoxy's 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 explicitly as "images" (e.g. ad banners). Depending on the URL itself,
-it is sometimes hard for Privoxy to really know whether it is indeed an ad
-image or not. And there are limitations as to what Privoxy can do to "fool" the
-browser.
+it is sometimes hard for Privoxy to really know whether there is indeed an ad
+image there or not. And there are limitations as to what Privoxy can do to
+"fool" the browser.
For instance, if the ad is in a frame, then it is embedded in the separate HTML
page used for the frame. In this case, you cannot just substitute an aribitray
made invisible, you can try moving the offending URL from the "+block" section
to the "+imageblock" section of your actions file. Just be forewarned, if any
URL is made "invisible", you may not have any inkling that something has been
-removed from that page. If this approach does not work, then you are probably
-dealing with a frame (or "ilayer"), and the only thing that can go there is an
-HTML page of some sort.
+removed from that page, or why. If this approach does not work, then you are
+probably dealing with a frame (or "ilayer"), and the only thing that can go
+there is an HTML page of some sort.
To deal with this situation, you could modify the "block" HTML template that is
used by Privoxy to display this, and make it something more to your liking.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-1.3.12. I cannot see all of the "Blocked" page banner. All I see is a bright
-red square.
+3.12. I cannot see all of the "Blocked" page banner. All I see is a bright red
+square.
There is not enough space to fit the entire page. Try right clicking on the
visible, red portion, and select "Show Frame", or equivalent. This will usually
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-1.3.13. How can I make Privoxy work with other proxies like Squid?
+3.13. How can I make Privoxy work with other proxies like Squid?
This can be done. See the user manual, which describes how to do this.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-1.4. Miscellaneous
+4. Miscellaneous
-1.4.1. How much does Privoxy slow my browsing down? This has to add extra time
-to browsing.
+4.1. How much does Privoxy slow my browsing down? This has to add extra time to
+browsing.
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
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-1.4.2. I noticed considerable delays in page requests compared to the old
+4.2. I noticed considerable delays in page requests compared to the old
Junkbuster. What's wrong?
Using the default filtering configuration, I noticed considerable delays in
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-1.4.3. What is the "http://p.p/"?
+4.3. What is the "http://p.p/"?
Since Privoxy sits between your web browser and the Internet, it can be
programmed to handle certain pages specially.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-1.4.4. Do you still maintain the blocklists?
+4.4. Do you still maintain the blocklists?
No. The format of the blocklists has changed significantly in the versions
2.9.x. Once we have released the new stable version, v3.0, there will again be
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-1.4.5. How can I submit new ads?
+4.5. How can I submit new ads?
As of now, please discontinue to submit new ad blocking infos. Once we have
released the new version, there will again be a form on the website, which you
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-1.4.6. How can I hide my IP address?
+4.6. How can I hide my IP address?
You cannot hide your IP address with Privoxy or any other software, since the
server needs to know your IP address to send the answer to you.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-1.4.7. Can Privoxy guarantee I am anonymous?
+4.7. Can Privoxy guarantee I am anonymous?
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
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-1.4.8. Might some things break because header information is being altered?
+4.8. Might some things break because header information is being altered?
Definitely. More and more sites use HTTP header content to decide what to
display and how to display it. There is many ways that this can be handled, so
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-1.4.9. Can Privoxy act as a "caching" proxy to speed up web browsing?
+4.9. Can Privoxy act as a "caching" proxy to speed up web browsing?
No, it does not have this ability at all. You want something like Squid for
this. And, yes, before you ask, Privoxy can co-exist with other kinds of
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-1.4.10. What about as a firewall? Can Privoxy protect me?
+4.10. What about as a firewall? Can Privoxy protect me?
Not in the way you mean, or in the way a true firewall can, or a proxy that has
this specific capability. Privoxy can help protect your privacy, but not really
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-1.4.11. The Privoxy logo that replaces ads is very blocky and ugly looking.
-Can't a better font be used?
+4.11. The Privoxy logo that replaces ads is very blocky and ugly looking. Can't
+a better font be used?
This is not a font problem. The logo is an image that is created by Privoxy on
the fly. So as to not waste memory, the image is rather small. The blockiness
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-1.4.12. I have large empty spaces now where ads used to be. Why?
+4.12. I have large empty spaces now where ads used to be. Why?
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
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-1.4.13. How can Privoxy filter Secure (HTTPS) URLs?
+4.13. How can Privoxy filter Secure (HTTPS) URLs?
This is a limitation since HTTPS transactions are encrypted SSL sessions
between your browser and the secure site, and are meant to be reliably secure
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-1.4.14. Privoxy runs as a "server". How secure is it? Do I need to take any
+4.14. Privoxy runs as a "server". How secure is it? Do I need to take any
special precautions?
There are no known exploits that might effect Privoxy. On Unix-like systems,
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-1.4.15. How can I temporarily disable Privoxy?
+4.15. How can I temporarily disable Privoxy?
The easiest way is to access Privoxy with your browser by using the special
URL: http://p.p/ and select "Toggle Privoxy on or off" from that page.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-1.5. Troubleshooting
+4.16. Where can I find more information about Privoxy and related issues?
+
+Other references and sites of interest to Privoxy users:
+
+ http://www.privoxy.org/, The Privoxy Home page.
+
+ http://sourceforge.net/projects/ijbswa, the Project Page for Privoxy on
+Sourceforge.
+
+ http://p.p/, access Privoxy from your browser. Alternately, http://
+config.privoxy.org may work in some situations where the first does not.
+
+ http://www.junkbusters.com/ht/en/cookies.html
-1.5.1. I just upgraded and am getting "connection refused" with every web page?
+ http://www.waldherr.org/junkbuster/
+
+ http://privacy.net/analyze/
+
+ http://www.squid-cache.org/
+
+
+
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+5. Troubleshooting
+
+5.1. I just upgraded and am getting "connection refused" with every web page?
Either Privoxy is not running, or your browser is configured for a different
port than what Privoxy is using.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-1.5.2. I just added a new rule, but the steenkin ad is still getting through.
+5.2. I just added a new rule, but the steenkin ad is still getting through.
How?
If the ad had been displayed before you added its URL, it will probably be held
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-1.5.3. One of my favorite sites does not work with Privoxy. What can I do?
+5.3. One of my favorite sites does not work with Privoxy. What can I do?
First verify that it is indeed a Privoxy problem, by disabling Privoxy
filtering and blocking. Go to http://p.p/ and click on "Toggle Privoxy On or
http://p.p/ 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 "Edit the actions list". Here you should see various sections that have
-various Privoxy features disabled for specific sites. Disabled "actions" will
-have a "-" (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 user-manual appendix.
+various Privoxy features disabled for specific sites. Most disabled "actions"
+will have a "-" (minus sign) in front of them. Some aliases are used just to
+disable other actions, e.g. "shop" and "fragile", and won't necessarily use a
+"+" or "-" sign. Add your problem page URL to one of these sections that looks
+like it is disabling the feature that is causing the problem. Rember to flush
+your browser's caches when making such changes! As a last resort, try "fragile"
+which disables most actions. Now re-try the page. There might be some trial and
+error involved. This is discussed in a little more detail in the user-manual
+appendix.
Alternately, if you are comfortable with a text editor, you can accomplish the
same thing by editing the appropriate "actions" file.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-1.5.4. Where can I get help? Report bugs? Feature Requests? Etc?
+5.4. Where can I get help? Report bugs? Feature Requests? Etc?
Feedback is encouraged, whether good, bad or ugly. Please see the contact page
in the user-manual for details.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-1.5.5. What time is it?
+5.5. What time is it?
Time for you to go!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-2. Copyright and History
-
-Please see the user-manual for information on Copyright and History.
-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-3. See also
-
-Please see the user-manual for others references.
-
By: Privoxy Developers
-$Id: user-manual.sgml,v 1.61 2002/03/29 01:31:08 hal9 Exp $
+$Id: user-manual.sgml,v 1.64 2002/04/03 03:53:43 hal9 Exp $
The user manual gives users information on how to install, configure and use
Privoxy. Privoxy is a web proxy with advanced filtering capabilities for
6.1. License
6.2. History
-7. See also
+7. See Also
8. Appendix
8.1. Regular Expressions
Privoxy is packaged in a WarpIN self- installing archive. The self-installing
program will be named depending on the release version, something like:
-ijbos2_setup_1.2.3.exe. In order to install it, simply run this executable or
-double-click on its icon and follow the WarpIN installation panels. A shadow of
-the Privoxy executable will be placed in your startup folder so it will start
-automatically whenever OS/2 starts.
+privoxyos2_setup_1.2.3.exe. In order to install it, simply run this executable
+or double-click on its icon and follow the WarpIN installation panels. A shadow
+of the Privoxy executable will be placed in your startup folder so it will
+start automatically whenever OS/2 starts.
The directory you choose to install Privoxy into will contain all of the
configuration files.
3. Quickstart to Using Privoxy
Before launching Privoxy for the first time, you will want to configure your
-browser(s) to use Privoxy and the HTTP and HTTPS proxy. The default is
-localhost for the proxy address, and port 8118 (earlier versions used port
-800). This is the one required configuration that must be done!
+browser(s) to use Privoxy as a HTTP and HTTPS proxy. The default is localhost
+for the proxy address, and port 8118 (earlier versions used port 800). This is
+the one required configuration that must be done!
With Netscape (and Mozilla), this can be set under Edit -> Preferences ->
-Advanced -> Proxies -> HTTP Proxy. For Internet Explorer: Tools > Internet
+Advanced -> Proxies -> HTTP Proxy. For Internet Explorer: Tools -> Internet
Properties -> Connections -> LAN Setting. Then, check "Use Proxy" and fill in
the appropriate info (Address: localhost, Port: 8118). Include if HTTPS proxy
support too.
4. Privoxy Configuration
-All Privoxy configuration is kept in text files. These files can be edited with
-a text editor. Many important aspects of Privoxy can also be controlled easily
-with a web browser.
+All Privoxy configuration is stored in text files. These files can be edited
+with a text editor. Many important aspects of Privoxy can also be controlled
+easily with a web browser.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
images, banners, pop-ups, access restrictions, banners and cookies. There
is a CGI based editor for this file that can be accessed via http://p.p.
(Other actions files are included as well with differing levels of
- filtering and blocking, e.g. ijb-basic.action.)
+ filtering and blocking, e.g. basic.action.)
* The default.filter file can be used to re-write the raw page content,
including viewable text as well as embedded HTML and JavaScript, and
4.3.1. Defining Other Configuration Files
Privoxy can use a number of other files to tell it what ads to block, what
-cookies to accept, etc. This section of the configuration file tells Privoxy
-where to find all those other files.
+cookies to accept, and perform other functions. This section of the
+configuration file tells Privoxy where to find all those other files.
On Windows and AmigaOS, Privoxy looks for these files in the same directory as
the executable. On Unix and OS/2, Privoxy looks for these files in the current
untrusted content. Use multiple times for multiple URLs. Default: Don't display
links on the "untrusted" info page.
- trust-info-url http://www.your-site.com/why_we_block.html
- trust-info-url http://www.your-site.com/what_we_allow.html
+ trust-info-url http://www.example.com/why_we_block.html
+ trust-info-url http://www.example.com/what_we_allow.html
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
installations, since your users will want to know why certain content is
blocked or modified. Default: Don't show a link to on-line documentation.
- proxy-info-url http://www.your-site.com/proxy.html
+ proxy-info-url http://www.example.com/proxy.html
"Listen-address" specifies the address and port where Privoxy will listen for
4.4. The Actions File
The "default.action" file (formerly actionsfile or ijb.action) is used to
-define what actions Privoxy takes, and thus determines how images, cookies and
-various other aspects of HTTP content and transactions are handled. Images can
-be anything you want, including ads, banners, or just some obnoxious URL that
-you would rather not see. Cookies can be accepted or rejected, or accepted only
-during the current browser session (i.e. not written to disk). Changes to
-default.action should be immediately visible to Privoxy without the need to
-restart.
-
-The easiest way to edit "actions" file is with a browser by loading http://p.p/
-, and then select "Edit Actions List". A text editor can also be used.
+define what actions Privoxy takes, and thus determines how ad images, cookies
+and various other aspects of HTTP content and transactions are handled. These
+can be accepted or rejected for all sites, or just those sites you choose. See
+below for a complete list of actions.
+
+Anything you want can blocked, including ads, banners, or just some obnoxious
+URL that you would rather not see. Cookies can be accepted or rejected, or
+accepted only during the current browser session (i.e. not written to disk).
+Changes to default.action should be immediately visible to Privoxy without the
+need to restart.
+
+Note that some sites may misbehave, or possibly not work at all with some
+actions. This may require some tinkering with the rules to get the most mileage
+of Privoxy's features, and still be able to see and enjoy just what you want
+to. There is no general rule of thumb on these things. There just are too many
+variables, and sites are always changing.
+
+The easiest way to edit the "actions" file is with a browser by loading http://
+p.p/, and then select "Edit Actions List". A text editor can also be used.
To determine which actions apply to a request, the URL of the request is
compared to all patterns in this file. Every time it matches, the list of
www.example.com/index.html - matches only the single document "/index.html" on
"www.example.com".
-/index.html - matches the document "/index.html", regardless of the domain.
+/index.html - matches the document "/index.html", regardless of the domain. So
+would match any page named "index.html" on any site.
index.html - matches nothing, since it would be interpreted as a domain name
and there is no top-level domain called ".html".
The matching of the domain part offers some flexible options: if the domain
starts or ends with a dot, it becomes unanchored at that end. For example:
-.example.com - matches any domain that ENDS in ".example.com".
+.example.com - matches any domain or sub-domain that ENDS in ".example.com".
www. - matches any domain that STARTS with "www".
www[1-9a-ez].example.com - matches "www1.example.com", "www4.example.com",
"wwwd.example.com", "wwwz.example.com", etc., but not "wwww.example.com".
-If Privoxy was compiled with "pcre" support (default), Perl compatible regular
-expressions can be used. See the pcre/docs/ directory or "man perlre" (also
-available on http://www.perldoc.com/perl5.6/pod/perlre.html) for details. A
-brief discussion of regular expressions is in the Appendix. For instance:
+If Privoxy was compiled with "pcre" support (the default), Perl compatible
+regular expressions can be used. These are more flexible and powerful than
+other types of "regular expressions". See the pcre/docs/ directory or "man
+perlre" (also available on http://www.perldoc.com/perl5.6/pod/perlre.html) for
+details. A brief discussion of regular expressions is in the Appendix. For
+instance:
/.*/advert[0-9]+\.jpe?g - would match a URL from any domain, with any path that
includes "advert" followed immediately by one or more digits, then a "." and
specifically enable the privacy and blocking features you need (although the
provided default default.action file will give a good starting point).
-Later defined actions always over-ride earlier ones. For multi-valued actions,
+Later defined actions always over-ride earlier ones. So exceptions to any rules
+you make, should come in the latter part of the file. For multi-valued actions,
the actions are applied in the order they are specified.
The list of valid Privoxy "actions" are:
* Block this URL totally. In a default installation, a "blocked" URL will
result in bright red banner that says "BLOCKED", with a reason why it is
- being blocked.
+ being blocked, and an option to see it anyway. The page displayed for this
+ is the "blocked" template file.
+block
* Apply the filters in the section_header section of the default.filter file
to the site(s). default.filter sections are grouped according to like
- functionality.
+ functionality. Filters can be used to re-write any of the raw page content.
+ This is a potentially a very powerful feature!
+filter{section_header}
* Don't send the "Referer:" (sic) header to the web site. You can block it,
forge a URL to the same server as the request (which is preferred because
- some sites will not send images otherwise) or set it to a constant string
- of your choice.
+ some sites will not send images otherwise) or set it to a constant, user
+ defined string of your choice.
+hide-referer{block}
+hide-referer{forge}
which case a "blocked" image can be sent rather than a HTML page. See
"+image-blocker{}" below for the control over what is actually sent. If you
want invisible ads, they should be defined as images and blocked. And also,
- "image-blocker" should be set to "blank".
+ "image-blocker" should be set to "blank". Note you cannot treat HTML pages
+ as images in most cases. For instance, frames require an HTML page to
+ display. Forcing an "image" in this situation just will not work.
+image
websites do this, which can be a problem for Privoxy, since "+filter",
"+no-popup" and "+gif-deanimate" will not work on compressed data. This
will slow down connections to those websites, though. Default is
- "nocompression" is turned on.
+ "no-compression" is turned on.
+nocompression
.cvs.sourceforge.net
-Now some URLs that we want "blocked", ie we won't see them. Many of these use
-regular expressions that will expand to match multiple URLs:
+Now some URLs that we want "blocked" (normally generates the "blocked" banner).
+Many of these use regular expressions that will expand to match multiple URLs:
# Blocklist:
{+block}
Currently, an alias can contain any character except space, tab, "=", "{" or "}
". But please use only "a"- "z", "0"-"9", "+", and "-". Alias names are not
case sensitive, and must be defined before anything else in the
-default.actionfile ! And there can only be one set of "aliases" defined.
+default.actionfile! And there can only be one set of "aliases" defined.
Now let's define a few aliases:
.overclockers.co.uk
+The "shop" and "fragile" aliases are often used for "problem" sites that
+require most actions to be disabled in order to function properly.
+
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.5. The Filter File
tags and non-visible content. The default filter file is default.filter,
located in the config directory.
+This is potentially a very powerful feature, and requires knowledge of both
+"regular expression" and HTML in order create custom filters. But, there are a
+number of useful filters included with Privoxy for many common situations.
+
The included example file is divided into sections. Each section begins with
the FILTER keyword, followed by the identifier for that section, e.g. "FILTER:
webbugs". Each section performs a similar type of filtering, such as
-"html-annoyances".
+"html-annoyances".
This file uses regular expressions to alter or remove any string in the target
page. The expressions can only operate on one line at a time. Some examples
When Privoxy displays one of its internal pages, such as a 404 Not Found error
page, it uses the appropriate template. On Linux, BSD, and Unix, these are
located in /etc/privoxy/templates by default. These may be customized, if
+desired.
+
+The default "Blocked" banner page with the bright red top banner, is called
+just "blocked". This may be customized or replaced with something else if
desired.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* Use the Sourceforge support forum to get help.
- * Submit bugs only thru our Sourceforge bug forum. Make sure that the bug has
- not already been submitted. Please try to verify that it is a Privoxy bug,
- and not a browser or site bug first. If you are using your own custom
- configuration, please try the stock configs to see if the problem is a
- configuration related bug. And if not using the latest development
- snapshot, please try the latest one. Or even better, CVS sources.
+ * Submit bugs only thru our Sourceforge bug forum.
+
+ Make sure that the bug has not already been submitted. Please try to verify
+ that it is a Privoxy bug, and not a browser or site bug first. If you are
+ using your own custom configuration, please try the stock configs to see if
+ the problem is a configuration related bug. And if not using the latest
+ development snapshot, please try the latest one. Or even better, CVS
+ sources. Please be sure to include the Privoxy/Junkbuster version,
+ platform, browser, any pertinent log data, any other relevant details
+ (please be specific) and, if possible, some way to reproduce the bug.
* Submit feature requests only thru our Sourceforge feature request forum.
is available from the Free Software Foundation, Inc, 59 Temple Place - Suite
330, Boston, MA 02111-1307, USA.
+You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License along with
+this program; if not, write to the Free Software Foundation, Inc., 59 Temple
+Place, Suite 330, Boston, MA 02111-1307 USA.
+
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6.2. History
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-7. See also
+7. See Also
- http://sourceforge.net/projects/ijbswa, the Project Page for Privoxy.
+Other references and sites of interest to Privoxy users:
- http://www.privoxy.org/
+ http://www.privoxy.org/, The Privoxy Home page.
- http://p.p/
+ http://sourceforge.net/projects/ijbswa, the Project Page for Privoxy on
+Sourceforge.
+
+ http://p.p/, access Privoxy from your browser. Alternately, http://
+config.privoxy.org may work in some situations where the first does not.
http://www.junkbusters.com/ht/en/cookies.html
8.3. Anatomy of an Action
-The way Privoxy applies "actions" to any given URL can be complex, and not
-always so easy to understand what is happening. And sometimes we need to be
-able to see just what Privoxy is doing. Especially, if something Privoxy is
-doing is causing us a problem inadvertantly. It can be a little daunting to
-look at the actions files themselves, since they tend to be filled with
-"regular expressions" whose consequences are not always so obvious. Privoxy
-provides the http://config.privoxy.org/show-url-info page that can show us very
-specifically how actions are being applied to any given URL. This is a big help
-for troubleshooting.
+The way Privoxy applies "actions" and "filters" to any given URL can be
+complex, and not always so easy to understand what is happening. And sometimes
+we need to be able to see just what Privoxy is doing. Especially, if something
+Privoxy is doing is causing us a problem inadvertantly. It can be a little
+daunting to look at the actions and filters files themselves, since they tend
+to be filled with "regular expressions" whose consequences are not always so
+obvious. Privoxy provides the http://config.privoxy.org/show-url-info page that
+can show us very specifically how actions are being applied to any given URL.
+This is a big help for troubleshooting.
First, enter one URL (or partial URL) at the prompt, and then Privoxy will tell
us how the current configuration will handle it. This will not help with
-Now the page displays ;-)
+Now the page displays ;-) Be sure to flush your browser's caches when making
+such changes. Or, try using Shift+Reload.
But now what about a situation where we get no explicit matches like we did
with:
+"{fragile}" is an alias that disables most actions. This can be used as a last
+resort for problem sites. Remember to flush caches! If this still does not
+work, you will have to go through the remaining actions one by one to find
+which one(s) is causing the problem.
+
projects / privoxy.git / commitdiff