From: hal9 Date: Sun, 17 Sep 2006 14:56:33 +0000 (+0000) Subject: This includes yet several more new FAQs, some improved wording, enhanced X-Git-Tag: v_3_0_5~38 X-Git-Url: http://www.privoxy.org/gitweb/?p=privoxy.git;a=commitdiff_plain;h=b22ae3b5b5cb44b88b2c485d8cd453f69a663b73 This includes yet several more new FAQs, some improved wording, enhanced mark-up, various hyper links to wikipedia to explain key terminology to the uninitiated, etc. This is ready for release IMO pending final tagging of cvs and Privoxy version stamping. --- diff --git a/doc/source/faq.sgml b/doc/source/faq.sgml index d3f8e7b0..f2877666 100644 --- a/doc/source/faq.sgml +++ b/doc/source/faq.sgml @@ -16,6 +16,8 @@ + +Privoxy"> ]> - &p-intro; + What is Privoxy? &p-intro; @@ -147,9 +149,72 @@ Hal. General Information +Who should use Privoxy? + + Anyone that is interested in security, privacy, or in + finer-grained control over their web and Internet experience. + Everyone is encouraged to try &my-app;. + + + +Is Privoxy the best choice for +me? + + &my-app; is certainly a good choice, especially for those who want more + control and security. Those that have the ability to fine-tune their installation + will benefit the most. One of Privoxy's + strength's is that it is highly configurable giving you the ability to + completely personalize your installation. Being familiar with, or at least + having an interest in learning about HTTP and other networking + protocols, HTML, + IP (Internet + Protocol), and + Regular + Expressions + will be a big plus and will help you get the most out + of &my-app;. + + + Much of Privoxy's configuration can be done + with a Web browser. + But there are areas where configuration is done using a + text editor + to edit configuration files. + + + +What is a <quote>proxy</quote>? How does +Privoxy work? + + A web proxy + is a service, based on a software such as + Privoxy, that clients (i.e. browsers) can use + instead of connecting directly to web servers on the Internet. The + clients then ask the proxy to fetch the objects they need (web pages, + images, movies etc) on their behalf, and when the proxy has done so, it + hands the results back to the client. It is a go-between. See + the Wikipedia proxy + definition for more. + + + There are many reasons to use web proxies, such as security (firewalling), + efficiency (caching) and others, and there are any number of proxies + to accommodate those needs. + + + Privoxy is a proxy that is primarily focused on privacy + protection, ad and junk elimination and freeing the user from restrictions placed on his + activities. Sitting between your browser(s) and the Internet, + it is in a perfect position to filter outbound personal information that your + browser is leaking, as well as inbound junk. It uses a variety of techniques to do + this, all of which are under your complete control via the various configuration + files and options. + + What is this new version of -<emphasis>Junkbuster</emphasis>? +Junkbuster? &history; @@ -197,8 +262,10 @@ 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 helps protect your privacy. But, these are - all greatly enhanced, and many, many new features have been added, all in the same vein. + still manages cookies, and still + helps protect your privacy. But, these are all greatly enhanced, and many, + many new features have been added, all in the same vein. The configuration has changed significantly as well. This is something that @@ -206,8 +273,8 @@ from the old Junkbuster? Junkbuster 2.0.x. The blocklist cookielist, imagelist and much more has been combined into the actions files, with a completely different - syntax. See the What's New - page for the latest updates. + syntax. What's New + page for the latest updates.]]> Privoxy's new features include: @@ -219,32 +286,6 @@ from the old Junkbuster? -What is a <quote>proxy</quote>? How does -Privoxy work? - - A web proxy is a service, based on a software such as Privoxy, - that clients (i.e. browsers) can use instead of connecting directly to the web - servers on the Internet. The clients then ask the proxy to fetch the objects - they need (web pages, images, movies etc) on their behalf, and when the proxy - has done so, it hands the results back to the client. - - - There are many reasons to use web proxies, such as security (firewalling), - efficiency (caching) and others, and there are just as many different proxies - to accommodate those needs. - - - Privoxy is a proxy that is primarily focused on privacy - protection, junk elimination and freeing the user from restrictions placed on his - activities. Sitting between your browser(s) and the Internet, - it is in a perfect position to filter outbound personal information that your - browser is leaking, as well as inbound junk. It uses a variety of techniques to do - this, all of which are under your control via the various configuration - files and options. - - - - How does Privoxy know what is an ad, and what is not? @@ -258,7 +299,8 @@ an ad, and what is not? and the host (blocking the big banner hosting services like doublecklick.net already helps a lot). Privoxy takes advantage of this fact by using URL - patterns to sort out and block the requests for banners. + patterns to sort out and block the requests for things that sound + like they would be ads or banners. Second, banners tend to come in certain sizes. But you @@ -270,7 +312,7 @@ an ad, and what is not? Both of this involves a certain amount of guesswork and is, of course, freely - configurable. + and readily configurable. @@ -310,6 +352,10 @@ This does not sound very scientific. encourage you to do this. This is where the real power of Privoxy lies! + + You will have to tell your browser about Privoxy + (see the Installation section below). + @@ -330,7 +376,19 @@ Privoxy at all? - +Why should I trust Privoxy? + + The most important reason is because you have access to + everything, and you can control everything. You can + check every line of every configuration file yourself. You can check every + last bit of source code should you desire. And even if you can't read code, + there should be some comfort in knowing that thousands of other people can, + and do read it. You can build the software from scratch, if you want, so + that you know the executable is clean, and that it is + yours. In fact, we encourage this level of scrutiny. It + is one reason we use &my-app; ourselves. + + Is there is a license or fee? What about a warranty? Registration? @@ -351,6 +409,30 @@ warranty? Registration? + +Can Privoxy remove spyware? Adware? Viruses? + + No. &my-app; cannot remove anything. It is not a removal tool. It is a + preventative. &my-app; can help prevent contact from sites + that use such tactics, and thus could conceivably prevent contamination from + such sites. + + + + + +Can I use Privoxy with other ad-blocking software? + + &my-app; should work fine with other proxies and other software in general. + + + But it is probably not necessary to use &my-app; in conjunction with other + ad-blocking products, and this could conceivably cause undesirable results. + It would be better to choose one software or the other and work a little to + tweak its configuration to your liking. + + + I would like to help you, what can I do? Would you like to participate? @@ -459,7 +541,7 @@ Include supported.sgml here: files and syntax have substantially changed, so you will need to manually port your old patterns. See the note to upgraders and installation - chapter in the user manual + chapter in the User Manual for details. @@ -478,7 +560,8 @@ special I have to do now? as a proxy by specifying the correct proxy address and port number in the appropriate configuration area for the browser. See below. You should also flush your browser's memory and disk cache to get rid of any - cached junk items, and remove any stored cookies. + cached junk items, and remove any stored + cookies. @@ -544,7 +627,7 @@ All the ads are there. What's wrong? on starting Privoxy and browser configuration, see the chapter on starting Privoxy in the - user manual. + User Manual. @@ -559,7 +642,7 @@ Privoxy is running and being used. should see the Privoxy main page. If not, see the chapter on starting Privoxy in the - user manual. + User Manual. @@ -595,8 +678,9 @@ Privoxy is running and being used. Where can I get updated Actions Files? - Based on your feedback and the continuing development, updated actions files will be - made available on the default.action will be + made available from time to time on the files section of our project page. @@ -623,14 +707,14 @@ Privoxy is running and being used. versions of Privoxy 2.x. The old files, like blocklist will not work at all. - + Refer to the What's New page for information on configuration changes that may occur from one release to another. - + ]]> -What is an <quote>actions</quote> file? +What exactly is an <quote>actions</quote> file? Actions files @@ -648,9 +732,10 @@ Privoxy is running and being used. for single URLs, whole web sites, groups or parts thereof etc. Actions can also be grouped together and then applied to requests matching one or more patterns. There are many possible actions that might apply to any given site. As an example, - if you are blocking cookies as one of your default actions, but need to accept - cookies from a given site, you would need to define an exception for this - site in one of your actions files, preferably in user.action. + if you are blocking cookies + as one of your default actions, but need to accept cookies from a given site, + you would need to define an exception for this site in one of your actions + files, preferably in user.action. @@ -699,7 +784,7 @@ the differences? to make their private customizations, and standard.action, which is for internal Privoxy use only. Please see the actions chapter - in the user manual for a more + in the User Manual for a more detailed explanation. @@ -715,7 +800,9 @@ the differences? How can I make my Yahoo/Hotmail/Gmail account work? The default configuration shouldn't impact the usability of any of these services. - It will, however, make all cookies temporary, so that your browser will forget your + It will, however, make all cookies + temporary, so that your browser will forget your login credentials in between browser sessions. If you would like not to have to log in manually each time you access those websites, simply turn off all cookie handling for them in the user.action file. An example for yahoo might @@ -727,6 +814,30 @@ the differences? { -crunch-incoming-cookies -crunch-outgoing-cookies -session-cookies-only } .login.yahoo.com + + These kinds of sites are often quite complex and heavy with + Javascript and + thus fragile. So if still a problem, + we have an alias just for such + sticky situations: + + + # Gmail is a _fragile_ site: +# +{ fragile } + mail.google.com + + + Be sure to flush your browser's caches whenever making these kinds of + changes, just to make sure the changes take. + + + Make sure the domain, host and path are appropriate as well. Your browser can + tell you where you are specifically and you should use that information for + your configuration settings. Note that above it is not referenced as + gmail.com, which is a valid domain name. + @@ -811,11 +922,13 @@ with a browser? Does that not raise security issues? If you are familiar with regular expressions, and HTML, you can look at the provided default.filter with a text editor and define your own filters. This is potentially a very powerful feature, but - requires some expertise in both regular expressions and HTML/HTTP. You should + requires some expertise in both regular expressions and HTML/HTTP. + user.filter, so they won't - be overwritten during upgrades. The ability to define multiple filter files - in config is a new feature as of v. 3.0.4. + be overwritten during upgrades. + The ability to define multiple filter files + in config is a new feature as of v. 3.0.4.]]> @@ -955,13 +1068,14 @@ instead of the checkerboard image. Why and how do I get rid of this? Can Privoxy run as a service on Win2K/NT/XP? +Windows service functionality. See the User Manual for details on how to install and configure Privoxy as a service. - + - Earlier versions could run as a system service using srvany.exe. + Earlier ]]>3.x versions could run as a system service using srvany.exe. See the discussion at http://sourceforge.net/tracker/?func=detail&atid=361118&aid=485617&group_id=11118, for details, and a sample configuration. @@ -977,8 +1091,10 @@ proxies like Squid or Tor? Privoxy with those of a another proxy. See the forwarding chapter - in the user manual which - describes how to do this. + in the User Manual which + describes how to do this, and the + How do I use Privoxy together with + Tor section below. @@ -1008,7 +1124,7 @@ and thus avoid individual browser configuration? this ability should work though. See the forwarding chapter - in the user manual. As + in the User Manual. As a transparent proxy to be used for chaining we recommend Transproxy (http://transproxy.sourceforge.net/). @@ -1045,6 +1161,53 @@ and thus avoid individual browser configuration? + +I sometimes notice cookies sneaking through. How? + + Cookies can be + set in several ways. The classic method is via the + Set-Cookie HTTP header. This is straightforward, and an + easy one to manipulate, such as the &my-app; concept of + session-cookies-only. + There is also the possibility of using + Javascript to + set cookies (&my-app; calls these content-cookies). This + is trickier because the syntax can vary widely, and thus requires a certain + amount of guesswork. It is not realistic to catch all of these short of + disabling Javascript, which would break many sites. And lastly, if the + cookies are embedded in a HTTPS/SSL secure session via Javascript, they are beyond + Privoxy's reach. + + + All in all, &my-app; can help manage cookies in general, can help minimize + the loss of privacy posed by cookies, but can't realistically stop all + cookies. + + + + +Are all cookies bad? Why? + + No, in fact there are many beneficial uses of + cookies. Cookies are just a + method that browsers can use to store data between pages, or between browser + sessions. Sometimes there is a good reason for this, and the user's life is a + bit easier as a result. But there is a long history of some websites taking + advantage of this layer of trust, and using the data they glean from you and + your browsing habits for their own purposes, and maybe to your potential + detriment. Such sites are using you and storing their data on your system. + That is why the security conscious watch from whom those cookies come, and why + they really need to be there. + + + See the + Wikipedia cookie + definition for more. + + + How can I allow permanent cookies for my trusted sites? @@ -1147,11 +1310,12 @@ has to add extra time to browsing. Overall, 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 typically being displayed. - The actual processing time required by Privoxy - itself for each page, is relatively small in the overall scheme of things, - and happens very quickly. This is typically more than offset by time saved - not downloading and rendering ad images (if ad blocking is being used). + speed things up since ads, banners and other junk are not typically being + retrieved and displayed. The actual processing time required by + Privoxy itself for each page, is relatively small + in the overall scheme of things, and happens very quickly. This is typically + more than offset by time saved not downloading and rendering ad images (if ad + blocking is being used). @@ -1199,18 +1363,6 @@ delays in page requests compared to the old Junkbuster. What's wrong? - -I just installed Privoxy, and all my -browsing has slowed to a crawl. What gives? - - This should not happen, and for the overwhelming number of users world-wide, - it does not happen. I would suspect some inadvertent interaction of software - components such as anti-virus software, spyware protectors, personal - firewalls or similar components. Try disabling (or uninstalling) these one - at a time and see if that helps. - - - What are "http://config.privoxy.org/" and "http://p.p/"? @@ -1303,7 +1455,8 @@ us help you. Your efforts are not wasted, and we do appreciate them. with Tor, an EFF supported onion routing system. The configuration details can be found in - How do I use Privoxy together with Tor?. + How do I use Privoxy together with Tor section + just below.