1076 lines
23 KiB
HTML
1076 lines
23 KiB
HTML
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<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN""http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/loose.dtd">
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<HTML
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><HEAD
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><TITLE
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>General Information</TITLE
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><META
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NAME="GENERATOR"
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CONTENT="Modular DocBook HTML Stylesheet Version 1.79"><LINK
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REL="HOME"
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TITLE="Privoxy Frequently Asked Questions"
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HREF="index.html"><LINK
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REL="PREVIOUS"
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TITLE="Privoxy Frequently Asked Questions"
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HREF="index.html"><LINK
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REL="NEXT"
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TITLE="Installation"
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HREF="installation.html"><LINK
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REL="STYLESHEET"
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TYPE="text/css"
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HREF="../p_doc.css"><META
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HTTP-EQUIV="Content-Type"
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CONTENT="text/html;
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charset=ISO-8859-1"></HEAD
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><BODY
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CLASS="SECT1"
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BGCOLOR="#EEEEEE"
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TEXT="#000000"
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LINK="#0000FF"
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VLINK="#840084"
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ALINK="#0000FF"
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><DIV
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CLASS="NAVHEADER"
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><TABLE
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SUMMARY="Header navigation table"
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WIDTH="100%"
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BORDER="0"
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CELLPADDING="0"
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CELLSPACING="0"
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><TR
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><TH
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COLSPAN="3"
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ALIGN="center"
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>Privoxy Frequently Asked Questions</TH
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></TR
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><TR
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><TD
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WIDTH="10%"
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ALIGN="left"
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VALIGN="bottom"
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><A
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HREF="index.html"
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ACCESSKEY="P"
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>Prev</A
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></TD
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><TD
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WIDTH="80%"
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ALIGN="center"
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VALIGN="bottom"
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></TD
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><TD
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WIDTH="10%"
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ALIGN="right"
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VALIGN="bottom"
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><A
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HREF="installation.html"
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ACCESSKEY="N"
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>Next</A
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></TD
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></TR
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></TABLE
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><HR
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ALIGN="LEFT"
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WIDTH="100%"></DIV
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><DIV
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CLASS="SECT1"
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><H1
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CLASS="SECT1"
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><A
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NAME="GENERAL"
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>1. General Information</A
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></H1
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><DIV
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CLASS="SECT2"
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><H3
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CLASS="SECT2"
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><A
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NAME="WHO-USES"
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>1.1. Who should give <SPAN
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CLASS="APPLICATION"
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>Privoxy</SPAN
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> a try?</A
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></H3
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><P
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> Anyone who is interested in security, privacy, or in
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finer-grained control over their web and Internet experience.
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</P
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></DIV
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><DIV
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CLASS="SECT2"
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><H3
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CLASS="SECT2"
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><A
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NAME="BESTCHOICE"
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>1.2. Is Privoxy the best choice for
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me?</A
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></H3
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><P
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> <SPAN
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CLASS="APPLICATION"
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>Privoxy</SPAN
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> is certainly a good choice, especially for those who want more
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control and security. Those with the willingness to read the documentation
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and the ability to fine-tune their installation will benefit the most.
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</P
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><P
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> One of <SPAN
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CLASS="APPLICATION"
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>Privoxy's</SPAN
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>
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strengths is that it is highly configurable giving you the ability to
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completely personalize your installation. Being familiar with, or at least
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having an interest in learning about <A
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HREF="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Http"
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TARGET="_top"
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>HTTP</A
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> and other networking
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protocols, <A
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HREF="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Html"
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TARGET="_top"
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>HTML</A
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>, and
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<A
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HREF="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regular_expressions"
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TARGET="_top"
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><SPAN
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CLASS="QUOTE"
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>"Regular
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Expressions"</SPAN
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></A
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>
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will be a big plus and will help you get the most out of <SPAN
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CLASS="APPLICATION"
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>Privoxy</SPAN
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>.
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A new installation just includes a very basic configuration. The user
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should take this as a starting point only, and enhance it as he or she
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sees fit. In fact, the user is encouraged, and expected to, fine-tune the
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configuration.
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</P
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><P
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> Much of <SPAN
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CLASS="APPLICATION"
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>Privoxy's</SPAN
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> configuration can be done
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with a <A
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HREF="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_browser"
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TARGET="_top"
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>Web browser</A
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>.
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But there are areas where configuration is done using a
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<A
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HREF="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Text_editors"
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TARGET="_top"
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>text editor</A
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>
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to edit configuration files. Also note that the web-based action editor
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doesn't use authentication and should only be enabled in environments
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where all clients with access to <SPAN
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CLASS="APPLICATION"
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>Privoxy</SPAN
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> listening port can be trusted.
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</P
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></DIV
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><DIV
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CLASS="SECT2"
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><H3
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CLASS="SECT2"
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><A
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NAME="PROXYMORON"
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>1.3. What is a <SPAN
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CLASS="QUOTE"
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>"proxy"</SPAN
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>? How does
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Privoxy work?</A
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></H3
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><P
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> A <A
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HREF="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proxy_server"
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TARGET="_top"
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>web proxy</A
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>
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is a service, based on a software such as <SPAN
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CLASS="APPLICATION"
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>Privoxy</SPAN
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>, that clients
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(i.e. browsers) can use instead of connecting to web servers directly.
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The clients then ask the proxy to request objects (web pages, images, movies etc)
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on their behalf and to forward the data to the clients.
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It is a <SPAN
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CLASS="QUOTE"
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>"go-between"</SPAN
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>. For details, see
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<A
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HREF="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proxy_server"
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TARGET="_top"
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>Wikipedia's proxy definition</A
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>.
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</P
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><P
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> There are many reasons to use web proxies, such as security (firewalling),
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efficiency (caching) and others, and there are any number of proxies
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to accommodate those needs.
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</P
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><P
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> <SPAN
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CLASS="APPLICATION"
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>Privoxy</SPAN
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||
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> is a proxy that is primarily focused on
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privacy enhancement, ad and junk elimination and freeing the user from
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restrictions placed on his activities. Sitting between your browser(s) and the Internet,
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it is in a perfect position to filter outbound personal information that your
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browser is leaking, as well as inbound junk. It uses a variety of techniques to do
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this, all of which are under your complete control via the various configuration
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files and options. Being a proxy also makes it easier to share
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configurations among multiple browsers and/or users.
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</P
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></DIV
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><DIV
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CLASS="SECT2"
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><H3
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CLASS="SECT2"
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><A
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NAME="OTHERSTUFF"
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||
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>1.4. Does Privoxy do anything more than ad blocking?</A
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||
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></H3
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><P
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>
|
||
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Yes, ad blocking is but one possible use. There are many, many ways <SPAN
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CLASS="APPLICATION"
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>Privoxy</SPAN
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>
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can be used to sanitize and customize web browsing. </P
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></DIV
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><DIV
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CLASS="SECT2"
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><H3
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CLASS="SECT2"
|
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><A
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NAME="NEWJB"
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||
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>1.5. What is this new version of
|
||
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<SPAN
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CLASS="QUOTE"
|
||
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>"Junkbuster"</SPAN
|
||
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>?</A
|
||
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></H3
|
||
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><P
|
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> A long time ago, there was the
|
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<A
|
||
|
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HREF="http://www.junkbusters.com/ijb.html"
|
||
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TARGET="_top"
|
||
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><SPAN
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CLASS="APPLICATION"
|
||
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>Internet Junkbuster</SPAN
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||
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></A
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>,
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||
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by Anonymous Coders and <A
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HREF="http://www.junkbusters.com/"
|
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TARGET="_top"
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>Junkbusters
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Corporation</A
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>. This saved many users a lot of pain in the early days of
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web advertising and user tracking.</P
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><P
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> But the web, its protocols and standards, and with it, the techniques for
|
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forcing ads on users, give up autonomy over their browsing, and
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for tracking them, keeps evolving. Unfortunately, the <SPAN
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CLASS="APPLICATION"
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||
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>Internet
|
||
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Junkbuster</SPAN
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||
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> did not. Version 2.0.2, published in 1998, was
|
||
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(and is) the last official
|
||
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<A
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HREF="http://www.junkbusters.com/ijbdist.html#release"
|
||
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TARGET="_top"
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>release</A
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>
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available from <A
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||
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HREF="http://www.junkbusters.com"
|
||
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TARGET="_top"
|
||
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>Junkbusters Corporation</A
|
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>.
|
||
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Fortunately, it had been released under the GNU
|
||
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<A
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HREF="http://www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/gpl-2.0.html"
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TARGET="_top"
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>GPL</A
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>,
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which allowed further development by others.</P
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><P
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> So Stefan Waldherr started maintaining an improved version of the
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software, to which eventually a number of people contributed patches.
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It could already replace banners with a transparent image, and had a first
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||
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version of pop-up killing, but it was still very closely based on the
|
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original, with all its limitations, such as the lack of HTTP/1.1 support,
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flexible per-site configuration, or content modification. The last release
|
||
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from this effort was version 2.0.2-10, published in 2000.</P
|
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><P
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> Then, some
|
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<A
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HREF="http://www.privoxy.org/user-manual/copyright.html#AUTHORS"
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TARGET="_top"
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>developers</A
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>
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||
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picked up the thread, and started turning the software inside out, upside down,
|
||
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and then reassembled it, adding many
|
||
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<A
|
||
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HREF="http://www.privoxy.org/user-manual/introduction.html#FEATURES"
|
||
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TARGET="_top"
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>new
|
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features</A
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> along the way.</P
|
||
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><P
|
||
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> The result of this is <SPAN
|
||
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CLASS="APPLICATION"
|
||
|
|
>Privoxy</SPAN
|
||
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|
>, whose first
|
||
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|
stable version, 3.0, was released August, 2002.
|
||
|
|
</P
|
||
|
|
></DIV
|
||
|
|
><DIV
|
||
|
|
CLASS="SECT2"
|
||
|
|
><H3
|
||
|
|
CLASS="SECT2"
|
||
|
|
><A
|
||
|
|
NAME="AEN78"
|
||
|
|
>1.6. Why <SPAN
|
||
|
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CLASS="QUOTE"
|
||
|
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>"Privoxy"</SPAN
|
||
|
|
>? Why change the name from
|
||
|
|
Junkbuster at all?</A
|
||
|
|
></H3
|
||
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|
><P
|
||
|
|
> Though outdated, <A
|
||
|
|
HREF="http://junkbusters.com/"
|
||
|
|
TARGET="_top"
|
||
|
|
>Junkbusters Corporation</A
|
||
|
|
>
|
||
|
|
continues to offer their original version of the <SPAN
|
||
|
|
CLASS="APPLICATION"
|
||
|
|
>Internet
|
||
|
|
Junkbuster</SPAN
|
||
|
|
>, so publishing our
|
||
|
|
<SPAN
|
||
|
|
CLASS="APPLICATION"
|
||
|
|
> Junkbuster</SPAN
|
||
|
|
>-derived software under the same name
|
||
|
|
led to confusion.</P
|
||
|
|
><P
|
||
|
|
> There are also potential legal complications from our use of the
|
||
|
|
<SPAN
|
||
|
|
CLASS="APPLICATION"
|
||
|
|
>Junkbuster</SPAN
|
||
|
|
> name, which is a registered trademark of
|
||
|
|
<A
|
||
|
|
HREF="http://junkbusters.com/"
|
||
|
|
TARGET="_top"
|
||
|
|
>Junkbusters Corporation</A
|
||
|
|
>.
|
||
|
|
There are, however, no objections from Junkbusters Corporation to the
|
||
|
|
<SPAN
|
||
|
|
CLASS="APPLICATION"
|
||
|
|
>Privoxy</SPAN
|
||
|
|
> project itself, and they, in fact, still
|
||
|
|
share our ideals and goals.</P
|
||
|
|
><P
|
||
|
|
> The developers also believed that there are so many improvements over the original
|
||
|
|
code, that it was time to make a clean break from the past and make
|
||
|
|
a name in their own right.</P
|
||
|
|
><P
|
||
|
|
> <SPAN
|
||
|
|
CLASS="APPLICATION"
|
||
|
|
>Privoxy</SPAN
|
||
|
|
> is the
|
||
|
|
<SPAN
|
||
|
|
CLASS="QUOTE"
|
||
|
|
>"<SPAN
|
||
|
|
CLASS="emphasis"
|
||
|
|
><I
|
||
|
|
CLASS="EMPHASIS"
|
||
|
|
>Privacy Enhancing Proxy</I
|
||
|
|
></SPAN
|
||
|
|
>"</SPAN
|
||
|
|
>. Also, its content
|
||
|
|
modification and junk suppression gives <SPAN
|
||
|
|
CLASS="emphasis"
|
||
|
|
><I
|
||
|
|
CLASS="EMPHASIS"
|
||
|
|
>you</I
|
||
|
|
></SPAN
|
||
|
|
>, the user, more
|
||
|
|
control, more freedom, and allows you to browse your personal and
|
||
|
|
<SPAN
|
||
|
|
CLASS="QUOTE"
|
||
|
|
>"<SPAN
|
||
|
|
CLASS="emphasis"
|
||
|
|
><I
|
||
|
|
CLASS="EMPHASIS"
|
||
|
|
>private</I
|
||
|
|
></SPAN
|
||
|
|
> edition"</SPAN
|
||
|
|
> of the web.</P
|
||
|
|
></DIV
|
||
|
|
><DIV
|
||
|
|
CLASS="SECT2"
|
||
|
|
><H3
|
||
|
|
CLASS="SECT2"
|
||
|
|
><A
|
||
|
|
NAME="DIFFERS"
|
||
|
|
>1.7. How does Privoxy differ
|
||
|
|
from the old Junkbuster?</A
|
||
|
|
></H3
|
||
|
|
><P
|
||
|
|
> <SPAN
|
||
|
|
CLASS="APPLICATION"
|
||
|
|
>Privoxy</SPAN
|
||
|
|
> picks up where
|
||
|
|
<SPAN
|
||
|
|
CLASS="APPLICATION"
|
||
|
|
>Junkbuster</SPAN
|
||
|
|
> left off.
|
||
|
|
The new <SPAN
|
||
|
|
CLASS="APPLICATION"
|
||
|
|
>Privoxy</SPAN
|
||
|
|
> still blocks ads and banners,
|
||
|
|
still manages <A
|
||
|
|
HREF="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Browser_cookie"
|
||
|
|
TARGET="_top"
|
||
|
|
>cookies</A
|
||
|
|
>, and still
|
||
|
|
helps protect your privacy. But, most of these features have been enhanced,
|
||
|
|
and many new ones have been added, all in the same vein.
|
||
|
|
</P
|
||
|
|
><P
|
||
|
|
> <SPAN
|
||
|
|
CLASS="APPLICATION"
|
||
|
|
>Privoxy</SPAN
|
||
|
|
>'s new features include:</P
|
||
|
|
><P
|
||
|
|
> <P
|
||
|
|
></P
|
||
|
|
><UL
|
||
|
|
><LI
|
||
|
|
><P
|
||
|
|
> Can keep outgoing connections alive and reuse them later on.
|
||
|
|
</P
|
||
|
|
></LI
|
||
|
|
><LI
|
||
|
|
><P
|
||
|
|
> Supports tagging which allows to change the behaviour
|
||
|
|
based on client and server headers.
|
||
|
|
</P
|
||
|
|
></LI
|
||
|
|
><LI
|
||
|
|
><P
|
||
|
|
> Can be run as an "intercepting" proxy, which obviates the need to
|
||
|
|
configure browsers individually.
|
||
|
|
</P
|
||
|
|
></LI
|
||
|
|
><LI
|
||
|
|
><P
|
||
|
|
> Sophisticated actions and filters for manipulating both server and client
|
||
|
|
headers.
|
||
|
|
</P
|
||
|
|
></LI
|
||
|
|
><LI
|
||
|
|
><P
|
||
|
|
> Can be chained with other proxies.
|
||
|
|
</P
|
||
|
|
></LI
|
||
|
|
><LI
|
||
|
|
><P
|
||
|
|
> Integrated browser based configuration and control utility at <A
|
||
|
|
HREF="http://config.privoxy.org/"
|
||
|
|
TARGET="_top"
|
||
|
|
>http://config.privoxy.org/</A
|
||
|
|
>
|
||
|
|
(shortcut: <A
|
||
|
|
HREF="http://p.p/"
|
||
|
|
TARGET="_top"
|
||
|
|
>http://p.p/</A
|
||
|
|
>). Browser-based
|
||
|
|
tracing of rule and filter effects. Remote toggling.
|
||
|
|
</P
|
||
|
|
></LI
|
||
|
|
><LI
|
||
|
|
><P
|
||
|
|
> Web page filtering (text replacements, removes banners based on size,
|
||
|
|
invisible <SPAN
|
||
|
|
CLASS="QUOTE"
|
||
|
|
>"web-bugs"</SPAN
|
||
|
|
>, JavaScript and HTML annoyances,
|
||
|
|
pop-up windows, etc.)
|
||
|
|
</P
|
||
|
|
></LI
|
||
|
|
><LI
|
||
|
|
><P
|
||
|
|
> Modularized configuration that allows for standard settings and
|
||
|
|
user settings to reside in separate files, so that installing updated
|
||
|
|
actions files won't overwrite individual user settings.
|
||
|
|
</P
|
||
|
|
></LI
|
||
|
|
><LI
|
||
|
|
><P
|
||
|
|
> Support for Perl Compatible Regular Expressions in the configuration files, and
|
||
|
|
a more sophisticated and flexible configuration syntax.
|
||
|
|
</P
|
||
|
|
></LI
|
||
|
|
><LI
|
||
|
|
><P
|
||
|
|
> Improved cookie management features (e.g. session based cookies).
|
||
|
|
</P
|
||
|
|
></LI
|
||
|
|
><LI
|
||
|
|
><P
|
||
|
|
> GIF de-animation.
|
||
|
|
</P
|
||
|
|
></LI
|
||
|
|
><LI
|
||
|
|
><P
|
||
|
|
> Bypass many click-tracking scripts (avoids script redirection).
|
||
|
|
</P
|
||
|
|
></LI
|
||
|
|
><LI
|
||
|
|
><P
|
||
|
|
> Multi-threaded (POSIX and native threads).
|
||
|
|
</P
|
||
|
|
></LI
|
||
|
|
><LI
|
||
|
|
><P
|
||
|
|
> User-customizable HTML templates for most proxy-generated pages (e.g. "blocked" page).
|
||
|
|
</P
|
||
|
|
></LI
|
||
|
|
><LI
|
||
|
|
><P
|
||
|
|
> Auto-detection and re-reading of config file changes.
|
||
|
|
</P
|
||
|
|
></LI
|
||
|
|
><LI
|
||
|
|
><P
|
||
|
|
> Improved signal handling, and a true daemon mode (Unix).
|
||
|
|
</P
|
||
|
|
></LI
|
||
|
|
><LI
|
||
|
|
><P
|
||
|
|
> Every feature now controllable on a per-site or per-location basis, configuration
|
||
|
|
more powerful and versatile over-all.
|
||
|
|
</P
|
||
|
|
></LI
|
||
|
|
><LI
|
||
|
|
><P
|
||
|
|
> Many smaller new features added, limitations and bugs removed.
|
||
|
|
</P
|
||
|
|
></LI
|
||
|
|
></UL
|
||
|
|
></P
|
||
|
|
></DIV
|
||
|
|
><DIV
|
||
|
|
CLASS="SECT2"
|
||
|
|
><H3
|
||
|
|
CLASS="SECT2"
|
||
|
|
><A
|
||
|
|
NAME="WHATSANAD"
|
||
|
|
>1.8. How does Privoxy know what is
|
||
|
|
an ad, and what is not?</A
|
||
|
|
></H3
|
||
|
|
><P
|
||
|
|
> <SPAN
|
||
|
|
CLASS="APPLICATION"
|
||
|
|
>Privoxy</SPAN
|
||
|
|
>'s approach to blocking ads is twofold:</P
|
||
|
|
><P
|
||
|
|
> First, there are certain patterns in the <SPAN
|
||
|
|
CLASS="emphasis"
|
||
|
|
><I
|
||
|
|
CLASS="EMPHASIS"
|
||
|
|
>locations</I
|
||
|
|
></SPAN
|
||
|
|
> (URLs)
|
||
|
|
of banner images. This applies to both the path (you wouldn't guess how many
|
||
|
|
web sites serve their banners from a directory called <SPAN
|
||
|
|
CLASS="QUOTE"
|
||
|
|
>"banners"</SPAN
|
||
|
|
>!)
|
||
|
|
and the host (blocking the big banner hosting services like doublecklick.net
|
||
|
|
already helps a lot). <SPAN
|
||
|
|
CLASS="APPLICATION"
|
||
|
|
>Privoxy</SPAN
|
||
|
|
> takes advantage of this
|
||
|
|
fact by using <A
|
||
|
|
HREF="../user-manual/actions-file.html#AF-PATTERNS"
|
||
|
|
TARGET="_top"
|
||
|
|
>URL
|
||
|
|
patterns</A
|
||
|
|
> to sort out and block the requests for things that sound
|
||
|
|
like they would be ads or banners.</P
|
||
|
|
><P
|
||
|
|
> Second, banners tend to come in certain <SPAN
|
||
|
|
CLASS="emphasis"
|
||
|
|
><I
|
||
|
|
CLASS="EMPHASIS"
|
||
|
|
>sizes</I
|
||
|
|
></SPAN
|
||
|
|
>. But you
|
||
|
|
can't tell the size of an image by its URL without downloading it, and if you
|
||
|
|
do, it's too late to save bandwidth. Therefore, <SPAN
|
||
|
|
CLASS="APPLICATION"
|
||
|
|
>Privoxy</SPAN
|
||
|
|
>
|
||
|
|
also inspects the HTML sources of web pages while they are loaded, and replaces
|
||
|
|
references to images with standard banner sizes by dummy references, so that
|
||
|
|
your browser doesn't request them anymore in the first place.</P
|
||
|
|
><P
|
||
|
|
> Both of this involves a certain amount of guesswork and is, of course, freely
|
||
|
|
and readily configurable.</P
|
||
|
|
></DIV
|
||
|
|
><DIV
|
||
|
|
CLASS="SECT2"
|
||
|
|
><H3
|
||
|
|
CLASS="SECT2"
|
||
|
|
><A
|
||
|
|
NAME="AEN160"
|
||
|
|
>1.9. Can Privoxy make mistakes?
|
||
|
|
This does not sound very scientific.</A
|
||
|
|
></H3
|
||
|
|
><P
|
||
|
|
> Actually, it's a black art ;-) And yes, it is always possible to have a broad
|
||
|
|
rule accidentally block or change something by mistake. You will almost surely
|
||
|
|
run into such situations at some point. It is tricky writing rules to
|
||
|
|
cover every conceivable possibility, and not occasionally get false positives.</P
|
||
|
|
><P
|
||
|
|
> But this should not be a big concern since the
|
||
|
|
<SPAN
|
||
|
|
CLASS="APPLICATION"
|
||
|
|
>Privoxy</SPAN
|
||
|
|
> configuration is very flexible, and
|
||
|
|
includes tools to help identify these types of situations so they can be
|
||
|
|
addressed as needed, allowing you to customize your installation.
|
||
|
|
(<A
|
||
|
|
HREF="trouble.html#BADSITE"
|
||
|
|
>See the Troubleshooting section below</A
|
||
|
|
>.)</P
|
||
|
|
></DIV
|
||
|
|
><DIV
|
||
|
|
CLASS="SECT2"
|
||
|
|
><H3
|
||
|
|
CLASS="SECT2"
|
||
|
|
><A
|
||
|
|
NAME="AEN166"
|
||
|
|
>1.10. Will I have to configure Privoxy
|
||
|
|
before I can use it?</A
|
||
|
|
></H3
|
||
|
|
><P
|
||
|
|
> That depends on your expectations.
|
||
|
|
The default installation should give you a good starting
|
||
|
|
point, and block <SPAN
|
||
|
|
CLASS="emphasis"
|
||
|
|
><I
|
||
|
|
CLASS="EMPHASIS"
|
||
|
|
>most</I
|
||
|
|
></SPAN
|
||
|
|
> ads and unwanted content,
|
||
|
|
but many of the more advanced features are off by default, and require
|
||
|
|
you to activate them. </P
|
||
|
|
><P
|
||
|
|
> You do have to set up your browser to use
|
||
|
|
<SPAN
|
||
|
|
CLASS="APPLICATION"
|
||
|
|
>Privoxy</SPAN
|
||
|
|
> (see the <A
|
||
|
|
HREF="installation.html#FIRSTSTEP"
|
||
|
|
>Installation section below</A
|
||
|
|
>). </P
|
||
|
|
><P
|
||
|
|
> And you will certainly run into situations where there are false positives,
|
||
|
|
or ads not being blocked that you may not want to see. In these cases, you
|
||
|
|
would certainly benefit by customizing <SPAN
|
||
|
|
CLASS="APPLICATION"
|
||
|
|
>Privoxy's</SPAN
|
||
|
|
>
|
||
|
|
configuration to more closely match your individual situation. And we
|
||
|
|
encourage you to do this. This is where the real power of
|
||
|
|
<SPAN
|
||
|
|
CLASS="APPLICATION"
|
||
|
|
>Privoxy</SPAN
|
||
|
|
> lies!</P
|
||
|
|
></DIV
|
||
|
|
><DIV
|
||
|
|
CLASS="SECT2"
|
||
|
|
><H3
|
||
|
|
CLASS="SECT2"
|
||
|
|
><A
|
||
|
|
NAME="LAN"
|
||
|
|
>1.11. Can Privoxy run as a server on a network?</A
|
||
|
|
></H3
|
||
|
|
><P
|
||
|
|
>
|
||
|
|
Yes, <SPAN
|
||
|
|
CLASS="APPLICATION"
|
||
|
|
>Privoxy</SPAN
|
||
|
|
> runs as a server already, and can easily be configured to
|
||
|
|
<SPAN
|
||
|
|
CLASS="QUOTE"
|
||
|
|
>"serve"</SPAN
|
||
|
|
> more than one client. See <A
|
||
|
|
HREF="configuration.html#LANCONFIG"
|
||
|
|
> How can I set up Privoxy to act as a proxy for my LAN</A
|
||
|
|
> below.</P
|
||
|
|
></DIV
|
||
|
|
><DIV
|
||
|
|
CLASS="SECT2"
|
||
|
|
><H3
|
||
|
|
CLASS="SECT2"
|
||
|
|
><A
|
||
|
|
NAME="BROWSERS2"
|
||
|
|
>1.12. My browser does the same things as
|
||
|
|
Privoxy. Why should I use Privoxy at all?</A
|
||
|
|
></H3
|
||
|
|
><P
|
||
|
|
> Modern browsers do indeed have <SPAN
|
||
|
|
CLASS="emphasis"
|
||
|
|
><I
|
||
|
|
CLASS="EMPHASIS"
|
||
|
|
>some</I
|
||
|
|
></SPAN
|
||
|
|
> of the same
|
||
|
|
functionality as <SPAN
|
||
|
|
CLASS="APPLICATION"
|
||
|
|
>Privoxy</SPAN
|
||
|
|
>. Maybe this is
|
||
|
|
adequate for you. But <SPAN
|
||
|
|
CLASS="APPLICATION"
|
||
|
|
>Privoxy</SPAN
|
||
|
|
> is very
|
||
|
|
versatile and powerful, and can probably do a number of things
|
||
|
|
your browser just can't.
|
||
|
|
</P
|
||
|
|
><P
|
||
|
|
> In addition, a proxy is good choice if you use multiple browsers, or
|
||
|
|
have a LAN with multiple computers since <SPAN
|
||
|
|
CLASS="APPLICATION"
|
||
|
|
>Privoxy</SPAN
|
||
|
|
> can run as a server
|
||
|
|
application. This way all the configuration is in one place, and you don't
|
||
|
|
have to maintain a similar configuration for possibly many browsers or
|
||
|
|
users.
|
||
|
|
</P
|
||
|
|
><P
|
||
|
|
> Note, however, that it's recommended to leverage both your browser's
|
||
|
|
and <SPAN
|
||
|
|
CLASS="APPLICATION"
|
||
|
|
>Privoxy's</SPAN
|
||
|
|
> privacy enhancing features
|
||
|
|
at the same time. While your browser probably lacks some features
|
||
|
|
<SPAN
|
||
|
|
CLASS="APPLICATION"
|
||
|
|
>Privoxy</SPAN
|
||
|
|
> offers, it should also be able to do some things more
|
||
|
|
reliable, for example restricting and suppressing JavaScript.
|
||
|
|
</P
|
||
|
|
></DIV
|
||
|
|
><DIV
|
||
|
|
CLASS="SECT2"
|
||
|
|
><H3
|
||
|
|
CLASS="SECT2"
|
||
|
|
><A
|
||
|
|
NAME="WHYTRUST"
|
||
|
|
>1.13. Why should I trust Privoxy?</A
|
||
|
|
></H3
|
||
|
|
><P
|
||
|
|
> The most important reason is because you have access to
|
||
|
|
<SPAN
|
||
|
|
CLASS="emphasis"
|
||
|
|
><I
|
||
|
|
CLASS="EMPHASIS"
|
||
|
|
>everything</I
|
||
|
|
></SPAN
|
||
|
|
>, and you can control everything. You can
|
||
|
|
check every line of every configuration file yourself. You can check every
|
||
|
|
last bit of source code should you desire. And even if you can't read code,
|
||
|
|
there should be some comfort in knowing that other people can,
|
||
|
|
and do read it. You can build the software from scratch, if you want,
|
||
|
|
so that you know the executable is clean, and that it is
|
||
|
|
<SPAN
|
||
|
|
CLASS="emphasis"
|
||
|
|
><I
|
||
|
|
CLASS="EMPHASIS"
|
||
|
|
>yours</I
|
||
|
|
></SPAN
|
||
|
|
>. In fact, we encourage this level of scrutiny. It
|
||
|
|
is one reason we use <SPAN
|
||
|
|
CLASS="APPLICATION"
|
||
|
|
>Privoxy</SPAN
|
||
|
|
> ourselves.
|
||
|
|
</P
|
||
|
|
></DIV
|
||
|
|
><DIV
|
||
|
|
CLASS="SECT2"
|
||
|
|
><H3
|
||
|
|
CLASS="SECT2"
|
||
|
|
><A
|
||
|
|
NAME="LICENSE"
|
||
|
|
>1.14. Is there is a license or fee? What about a
|
||
|
|
warranty? Registration?</A
|
||
|
|
></H3
|
||
|
|
><P
|
||
|
|
> <SPAN
|
||
|
|
CLASS="APPLICATION"
|
||
|
|
>Privoxy</SPAN
|
||
|
|
> is free software and licensed under the <A
|
||
|
|
HREF="http://www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/gpl-2.0.html"
|
||
|
|
TARGET="_top"
|
||
|
|
>GNU General Public License (GPL) version 2</A
|
||
|
|
>.
|
||
|
|
It is free to use, copy, modify or distribute as you wish under the terms of this
|
||
|
|
license. Please see the <A
|
||
|
|
HREF="copyright.html"
|
||
|
|
>Copyright</A
|
||
|
|
> section for more
|
||
|
|
information on the license and copyright. Or the <TT
|
||
|
|
CLASS="FILENAME"
|
||
|
|
>LICENSE</TT
|
||
|
|
> file
|
||
|
|
that should be included.
|
||
|
|
</P
|
||
|
|
><P
|
||
|
|
> There is <SPAN
|
||
|
|
CLASS="emphasis"
|
||
|
|
><I
|
||
|
|
CLASS="EMPHASIS"
|
||
|
|
>no warranty</I
|
||
|
|
></SPAN
|
||
|
|
> of any kind, expressed, implied or otherwise.
|
||
|
|
That is something that would cost real money ;-) There is no registration either.
|
||
|
|
</P
|
||
|
|
></DIV
|
||
|
|
><DIV
|
||
|
|
CLASS="SECT2"
|
||
|
|
><H3
|
||
|
|
CLASS="SECT2"
|
||
|
|
><A
|
||
|
|
NAME="SPYWARE"
|
||
|
|
>1.15. Can Privoxy remove spyware? Adware? Viruses?</A
|
||
|
|
></H3
|
||
|
|
><P
|
||
|
|
> No, at least not reliably enough to trust it. <SPAN
|
||
|
|
CLASS="APPLICATION"
|
||
|
|
>Privoxy</SPAN
|
||
|
|
> is not designed to be
|
||
|
|
a malware removal tool and the default configuration doesn't even try to
|
||
|
|
filter out any malware.</P
|
||
|
|
><P
|
||
|
|
> <SPAN
|
||
|
|
CLASS="APPLICATION"
|
||
|
|
>Privoxy</SPAN
|
||
|
|
> could help prevent contact from (known) sites that use such
|
||
|
|
tactics with appropriate configuration rules, and thus could conceivably
|
||
|
|
prevent contamination from such sites. However, keeping such a configuration
|
||
|
|
up to date would require a lot of time and effort that would be better spend
|
||
|
|
on keeping your software itself up to date so it doesn't have known
|
||
|
|
vulnerabilities.</P
|
||
|
|
></DIV
|
||
|
|
><DIV
|
||
|
|
CLASS="SECT2"
|
||
|
|
><H3
|
||
|
|
CLASS="SECT2"
|
||
|
|
><A
|
||
|
|
NAME="OTHERADS"
|
||
|
|
>1.16. Can I use Privoxy with other ad-blocking software?</A
|
||
|
|
></H3
|
||
|
|
><P
|
||
|
|
> <SPAN
|
||
|
|
CLASS="APPLICATION"
|
||
|
|
>Privoxy</SPAN
|
||
|
|
> should work fine with other proxies and other software in general.</P
|
||
|
|
><P
|
||
|
|
> But it is probably not necessary to use <SPAN
|
||
|
|
CLASS="APPLICATION"
|
||
|
|
>Privoxy</SPAN
|
||
|
|
> in conjunction with other
|
||
|
|
ad-blocking products, and this could conceivably cause undesirable results.
|
||
|
|
It might be better to choose one software or the other and work a little to
|
||
|
|
tweak its configuration to your liking.</P
|
||
|
|
><P
|
||
|
|
> Note that this is an advice specific to ad blocking.</P
|
||
|
|
></DIV
|
||
|
|
><DIV
|
||
|
|
CLASS="SECT2"
|
||
|
|
><H3
|
||
|
|
CLASS="SECT2"
|
||
|
|
><A
|
||
|
|
NAME="JOINTEAM"
|
||
|
|
>1.17. I would like to help you, what can I do?</A
|
||
|
|
></H3
|
||
|
|
><DIV
|
||
|
|
CLASS="SECT3"
|
||
|
|
><H4
|
||
|
|
CLASS="SECT3"
|
||
|
|
><A
|
||
|
|
NAME="JOINTEAM-WORK"
|
||
|
|
>1.17.1. Would you like to participate?</A
|
||
|
|
></H4
|
||
|
|
><P
|
||
|
|
> Well, we <SPAN
|
||
|
|
CLASS="emphasis"
|
||
|
|
><I
|
||
|
|
CLASS="EMPHASIS"
|
||
|
|
>always</I
|
||
|
|
></SPAN
|
||
|
|
> need help. There is something for
|
||
|
|
everybody who wants to help us. We welcome new developers, packagers,
|
||
|
|
testers, documentation writers or really anyone with a desire to help in
|
||
|
|
any way. You <SPAN
|
||
|
|
CLASS="emphasis"
|
||
|
|
><I
|
||
|
|
CLASS="EMPHASIS"
|
||
|
|
>DO NOT</I
|
||
|
|
></SPAN
|
||
|
|
> need to be a
|
||
|
|
<SPAN
|
||
|
|
CLASS="QUOTE"
|
||
|
|
>"programmer"</SPAN
|
||
|
|
>. There are many other tasks available. In fact,
|
||
|
|
the programmers often can't spend as much time programming because of some
|
||
|
|
of the other, more mundane things that need to be done, like checking the
|
||
|
|
Tracker feedback sections.
|
||
|
|
</P
|
||
|
|
><P
|
||
|
|
> So first thing, <A
|
||
|
|
HREF="https://sourceforge.net/account/register.php"
|
||
|
|
TARGET="_top"
|
||
|
|
>get an account on SourceForge.net</A
|
||
|
|
>
|
||
|
|
and mail your id to the <A
|
||
|
|
HREF="mailto:ijbswa-developers@lists.sourceforge.net"
|
||
|
|
TARGET="_top"
|
||
|
|
>developers
|
||
|
|
mailing list</A
|
||
|
|
>. Then, please read the <A
|
||
|
|
HREF="../developer-manual/index.html"
|
||
|
|
TARGET="_top"
|
||
|
|
>Developer's Manual</A
|
||
|
|
>, at least
|
||
|
|
the pertinent sections.</P
|
||
|
|
><P
|
||
|
|
> You can also start helping out without SourceForge.net account,
|
||
|
|
simply by showing up on the mailing list, helping out other users,
|
||
|
|
providing general feedback or reporting problems you noticed.
|
||
|
|
</P
|
||
|
|
></DIV
|
||
|
|
><DIV
|
||
|
|
CLASS="SECT3"
|
||
|
|
><H4
|
||
|
|
CLASS="SECT3"
|
||
|
|
><A
|
||
|
|
NAME="DONATE"
|
||
|
|
>1.17.2. Would you like to donate?</A
|
||
|
|
></H4
|
||
|
|
><P
|
||
|
|
> <SPAN
|
||
|
|
CLASS="APPLICATION"
|
||
|
|
>Privoxy</SPAN
|
||
|
|
> is developed by unpaid volunteers
|
||
|
|
and thus our current running costs are pretty low. Nevertheless, we
|
||
|
|
have plans that will cost money in the future. We would like to get
|
||
|
|
this money through donations made by our users.</P
|
||
|
|
><P
|
||
|
|
> <SPAN
|
||
|
|
CLASS="APPLICATION"
|
||
|
|
>Privoxy</SPAN
|
||
|
|
> has therefore become an associated
|
||
|
|
project of <A
|
||
|
|
HREF="http://www.spi-inc.org/about-spi/about-spi"
|
||
|
|
TARGET="_top"
|
||
|
|
>Software
|
||
|
|
in the Public Interest (SPI)</A
|
||
|
|
>, which allows us to receive tax-deductible
|
||
|
|
donations in most western countries.</P
|
||
|
|
><P
|
||
|
|
> We intend to use the donations to pay for our domain after transfering
|
||
|
|
it to SPI. Our goal is to make sure there's no single point of failure
|
||
|
|
and the bill gets paid and the site keeps running even if a some of
|
||
|
|
the currently active developers were to suddenly disappear for a while.</P
|
||
|
|
><P
|
||
|
|
> We would also like to spend some money on more reliable hosting,
|
||
|
|
on hardware to help make sure <SPAN
|
||
|
|
CLASS="APPLICATION"
|
||
|
|
>Privoxy</SPAN
|
||
|
|
>
|
||
|
|
keeps running on platforms the developers currently can't test on,
|
||
|
|
and on technical books to educate our developers about said platforms
|
||
|
|
or to improve their knowledge in general.</P
|
||
|
|
><P
|
||
|
|
> If you enjoy our software and feel like helping out with a donation,
|
||
|
|
please have a look at
|
||
|
|
<A
|
||
|
|
HREF="http://www.spi-inc.org/donations"
|
||
|
|
TARGET="_top"
|
||
|
|
>SPI's donation page</A
|
||
|
|
>
|
||
|
|
to see what the options are.</P
|
||
|
|
><P
|
||
|
|
></P
|
||
|
|
></DIV
|
||
|
|
></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="index.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="installation.html"
|
||
|
|
ACCESSKEY="N"
|
||
|
|
>Next</A
|
||
|
|
></TD
|
||
|
|
></TR
|
||
|
|
><TR
|
||
|
|
><TD
|
||
|
|
WIDTH="33%"
|
||
|
|
ALIGN="left"
|
||
|
|
VALIGN="top"
|
||
|
|
>Privoxy Frequently Asked Questions</TD
|
||
|
|
><TD
|
||
|
|
WIDTH="34%"
|
||
|
|
ALIGN="center"
|
||
|
|
VALIGN="top"
|
||
|
|
> </TD
|
||
|
|
><TD
|
||
|
|
WIDTH="33%"
|
||
|
|
ALIGN="right"
|
||
|
|
VALIGN="top"
|
||
|
|
>Installation</TD
|
||
|
|
></TR
|
||
|
|
></TABLE
|
||
|
|
></DIV
|
||
|
|
></BODY
|
||
|
|
></HTML
|
||
|
|
>
|