1 /*********************************************************************
3 * File : $Source: /cvsroot/ijbswa/current/doc/source/readme.sgml,v $
5 * Purpose : README file to give a short intro.
7 * Copyright : Written by and Copyright (C) 2001-2009 the SourceForge
8 * Privoxy team. http://www.privoxy.org/
10 * Based on the Internet Junkbuster originally written
11 * by and Copyright (C) 1997 Anonymous Coders and
12 * Junkbusters Corporation. http://www.junkbusters.com
14 * This program is free software; you can redistribute it
15 * and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General
16 * Public License as published by the Free Software
17 * Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or (at
18 * your option) any later version.
20 * This program is distributed in the hope that it will
21 * be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the
22 * implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A
23 * PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU General Public
24 * License for more details.
26 * The GNU General Public License should be included with
27 * this file. If not, you can view it at
28 * http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html
29 * or write to the Free Software Foundation, Inc.,
30 * 51 Franklin Street, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA 02110-1301,
33 *********************************************************************/
35 This README is included with the development version of Privoxy 3.0.14. See
36 http://www.privoxy.org/ for more information. The current code maturity level
37 is "beta", but seems stable to us :).
39 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
41 Privoxy is a non-caching web proxy with advanced filtering capabilities for
42 enhancing privacy, modifying web page data and HTTP headers, controlling
43 access, and removing ads and other obnoxious Internet junk. Privoxy has a
44 flexible configuration and can be customized to suit individual needs and
45 tastes. It has application for both stand-alone systems and multi-user
48 Privoxy is Free Software and licensed under the GPL2.
50 Privoxy is an associated project of Software in the Public Interest (SPI).
51 Donations are welcome.
53 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
57 July 2009, Privoxy 3.0.14 beta is released.
59 This is a bugfix-release for the previous beta which introduced IPv6 support,
60 improved keep-alive support and a bunch of minor improvements. See the
61 "ChangeLog", and the "What's New" section and the "Upgrader's Notes" in the
62 User Manual for details.
64 Depending on the feedback it will be either followed by yet another beta
65 release, or by a stable release with the same feature set.
67 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
71 See the INSTALL file in this directory, for installing from raw source, and the
72 User Manual, for all other installation types.
74 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
78 privoxy [--help] [--version] [--no-daemon] [--pidfile PIDFILE] [--user USER
79 [.GROUP]] [--chroot] [--pre-chroot-nslookup HOSTNAME ][config_file]
81 See the man page or User Manual for an explanation of each option, and other
82 configuration and usage issues.
84 If no config_file is specified on the command line, Privoxy will look for a
85 file named 'config' in the current directory (except Win32 which will look for
86 'config.txt'). If no config_file is found, Privoxy will fail to start.
88 Or for Red Hat and Fedora based distributions: /etc/rc.d/init.d/privoxy start
90 Or Debian and Ubuntu: /etc/init.d/privoxy start
92 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
96 See: 'config', 'default.action', 'user.action', 'default.filter', and
97 'user.filter'. 'user.action' and 'user.filter' are for personal and local
98 configuration preferences. These are all well commented. Most of the magic is
99 in '*.action' files. 'user.action' should be used for any actions
100 customizations. On Unix-like systems, these files are typically installed in /
101 etc/privoxy. On Windows, then wherever the executable itself is installed.
102 There are many significant changes and advances from earlier versions. The User
103 Manual has an explanation of all configuration options, and examples: http://
104 www.privoxy.org/user-manual/.
106 Be sure to set your browser(s) for HTTP/HTTPS Proxy at <IP>:<Port>, or whatever
107 you specify in the config file under 'listen-address'. DEFAULT is
108 localhost:8118. Note that Privoxy ONLY proxies HTTP (and HTTPS) traffic. Do not
109 try it with FTP or other protocols for the simple reason it does not work.
111 The actions list can be configured via the web interface accessed via http://
112 p.p/, as well other options.
114 All configuration files are subject to unannounced changes during the
117 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
121 There should be documentation in the 'doc' subdirectory, but it may not be
122 completed at this point. In particular, see the User Manual there, the FAQ, and
123 those interested in Privoxy development, should look at developer-manual.
125 The most up to date source of information on the current development version,
126 may still be either comments in the source code, or the included configuration
127 files. The source and configuration files are all well commented. The main
128 configuration files are: 'config', 'default.action', and 'default.filter' in
129 the top-level source directory.
131 Included documentation may vary according to platform and packager. All
132 documentation is posted on http://www.privoxy.org, in case you don't have it,
135 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
137 6. CONTACTING THE DEVELOPERS, BUG REPORTING AND FEATURE REQUESTS
139 We value your feedback. In fact, we rely on it to improve Privoxy and its
140 configuration. However, please note the following hints, so we can provide you
141 with the best support:
143 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
147 For casual users, our support forum at SourceForge is probably best suited:
148 http://sourceforge.net/tracker/?group_id=11118&atid=211118
150 All users are of course welcome to discuss their issues on the users mailing
151 list, where the developers also hang around.
153 Please don't sent private support requests to individual Privoxy developers,
154 either use the mailing lists or the support trackers.
156 Note that the Privoxy mailing lists are moderated. Posts from unsubscribed
157 addresses have to be accepted manually by a moderator. This may cause a delay
158 of several days and if you use a subject that doesn't clearly mention Privoxy
159 or one of its features, your message may be accidentally discarded as spam.
161 If you aren't subscribed, you should therefore spend a few seconds to come up
162 with a proper subject. Additionally you should make it clear that you want to
163 get CC'd. Otherwise some responses will be directed to the mailing list only,
164 and you won't see them.
166 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
168 6.2. Reporting Problems
170 "Problems" for our purposes, come in two forms:
172 * Configuration issues, such as ads that slip through, or sites that don't
173 function properly due to one Privoxy "action" or another being turned "on".
175 * "Bugs" in the programming code that makes up Privoxy, such as that might
178 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
180 6.2.1. Reporting Ads or Other Configuration Problems
182 Please send feedback on ads that slipped through, innocent images that were
183 blocked, sites that don't work properly, and other configuration related
184 problem of default.action file, to http://sourceforge.net/tracker/?group_id=
185 11118&atid=460288, the Actions File Tracker.
187 New, improved default.action files may occasionally be made available based on
188 your feedback. These will be announced on the ijbswa-announce list and
189 available from our the files section of our project page.
191 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
193 6.2.2. Reporting Bugs
195 Please report all bugs through our bug tracker: http://sourceforge.net/tracker
196 /?group_id=11118&atid=111118.
198 Before doing so, please make sure that the bug has not already been submitted
199 and observe the additional hints at the top of the submit form. If already
200 submitted, please feel free to add any info to the original report that might
201 help to solve the issue.
203 Please try to verify that it is a Privoxy bug, and not a browser or site bug or
204 documented behaviour that just happens to be different than what you expected.
205 If unsure, try toggling off Privoxy, and see if the problem persists.
207 If you are using your own custom configuration, please try the stock configs to
208 see if the problem is configuration related. If you're having problems with a
209 feature that is disabled by default, please ask around on the mailing list if
210 others can reproduce the problem.
212 If you aren't using the latest Privoxy version, the bug may have been found and
213 fixed in the meantime. We would appreciate if you could take the time to
214 upgrade to the latest version (or even the latest CVS snapshot) and verify that
215 your bug still exists.
217 Please be sure to provide the following information:
219 * The exact Privoxy version you are using (if you got the source from CVS,
220 please also provide the source code revisions as shown in http://
221 config.privoxy.org/show-version).
223 * The operating system and versions you run Privoxy on, (e.g. Windows XP
224 SP2), if you are using a Unix flavor, sending the output of "uname -a"
225 should do, in case of GNU/Linux, please also name the distribution.
227 * The name, platform, and version of the browser you were using (e.g.
228 Internet Explorer v5.5 for Mac).
230 * The URL where the problem occurred, or some way for us to duplicate the
231 problem (e.g. http://somesite.example.com/?somethingelse=123).
233 * Whether your version of Privoxy is one supplied by the Privoxy developers
234 via SourceForge, or if you got your copy somewhere else.
236 * Whether you are using Privoxy in tandem with another proxy such as Tor. If
237 so, please temporary disable the other proxy to see if the symptoms change.
239 * Whether you are using a personal firewall product. If so, does Privoxy work
242 * Any other pertinent information to help identify the problem such as config
243 or log file excerpts (yes, you should have log file entries for each action
246 You don't have to tell us your actual name when filing a problem report, but
247 please use a nickname so we can differentiate between your messages and the
248 ones entered by other "anonymous" users that may respond to your request if
249 they have the same problem or already found a solution.
251 Please also check the status of your request a few days after submitting it, as
252 we may request additional information. If you use a SF id, you should
253 automatically get a mail when someone responds to your request.
255 The appendix of the Privoxy User Manual also has helpful information on
256 understanding actions, and action debugging.
258 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
260 6.3. Request New Features
262 You are welcome to submit ideas on new features or other proposals for
263 improvement through our feature request tracker at http://sourceforge.net/
264 tracker/?atid=361118&group_id=11118.
266 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
270 For any other issues, feel free to use the mailing lists. Technically
271 interested users and people who wish to contribute to the project are also
272 welcome on the developers list! You can find an overview of all Privoxy-related
273 mailing lists, including list archives, at: http://sourceforge.net/mail/?