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) 2001-2008 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 3.0.9. See
36 http://www.privoxy.org/ for more information. The current code maturity level
37 is "UNRELEASED", 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, managing HTTP cookies, controlling
43 access, and removing ads, banners, pop-ups and other obnoxious Internet junk.
44 Privoxy has a flexible configuration and can be customized to suit individual
45 needs and tastes. Privoxy has application for both stand-alone systems and
48 Privoxy is based on Internet Junkbuster (tm).
50 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
54 Privoxy is in development mode for the time being. Some of the current cvs
55 sources may not be well tested, and/or well documented. Current cvs is
56 suggested only for developers and adventuresome users. If you find any
57 problems, please report them on the appropriate SourceForge tracker, or the
58 developer's mailing list: ijbswa-developers@lists.sourceforge.net. Your help
61 NEWS! January 2008, Privoxy 3.0.8 stable is released. This is a significant
62 upgrade with many new and enhanced features, and many bugs fixed. All Privoxy
63 users are encouraged to upgrade. See the "ChangeLog", and the "What's New"
64 section and the "Upgrader's Notes" in the User Manual for details and
65 specifics. There are changes related to configuration, so anyone upgrading and
66 keeping their old configuration should read ahead first.
68 December 2007, Privoxy 3.0.7 is released. This is a beta release in preparation
69 for the forthcoming 3.0.8 release.
71 NEWS! November 2006, Privoxy 3.0.6 stable is released. This is a significant
72 upgrade with many new and enhanced features, and many bugs fixed.
74 There was and will not be an official 3.0.4 release. This release cycle was
75 used to gather our thoughts, play with some new ideas and refine some old ones.
76 It will remain a development cycle with no actual release. 3.0.5 is the fruit
79 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
83 See the INSTALL file in this directory, for installing from raw source, and the
84 User Manual, for all other installation types.
86 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
90 privoxy [--help] [--version] [--no-daemon] [--pidfile PIDFILE] [--user USER
91 [.GROUP]] [--chroot] [--pre-chroot-nslookup HOSTNAME ][config_file]
93 See the man page or User Manual for an explanation of each option, and other
94 configuration and usage issues.
96 If no config_file is specified on the command line, Privoxy will look for a
97 file named 'config' in the current directory (except Win32 which will look for
98 'config.txt'). If no config_file is found, Privoxy will fail to start.
100 Or for Red Hat and Fedora based distributions: /etc/rc.d/init.d/privoxy start
102 Or Debian: /etc/init.d/privoxy start
104 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
108 See: 'config', 'default.action', 'user.action', 'default.filter', and
109 'user.filter'. 'user.action' and 'user.filter' are for personal and local
110 configuration preferences. These are all well commented. Most of the magic is
111 in '*.action' files. 'user.action' should be used for any actions
112 customizations. On Unix-like systems, these files are typically installed in /
113 etc/privoxy. On Windows, then wherever the executable itself is installed.
114 There are many significant changes and advances from earlier versions. The User
115 Manual has an explanation of all configuration options, and examples: http://
116 www.privoxy.org/user-manual/.
118 Be sure to set your browser(s) for HTTP/HTTPS Proxy at <IP>:<Port>, or whatever
119 you specify in the config file under 'listen-address'. DEFAULT is
120 localhost:8118. Note that Privoxy ONLY proxies HTTP (and HTTPS) traffic. Do not
121 try it with FTP or other protocols for the simple reason it does not work.
123 The actions list can be configured via the web interface accessed via http://
124 p.p/, as well other options.
126 All configuration files are subject to unannounced changes during the
129 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
133 There should be documentation in the 'doc' subdirectory, but it may not be
134 completed at this point. In particular, see the User Manual there, the FAQ, and
135 those interested in Privoxy development, should look at developer-manual.
137 The most up to date source of information on the current development version,
138 may still be either comments in the source code, or the included configuration
139 files. The source and configuration files are all well commented. The main
140 configuration files are: 'config', 'default.action', and 'default.filter' in
141 the top-level source directory.
143 Included documentation may vary according to platform and packager. All
144 documentation is posted on http://www.privoxy.org, in case you don't have it,
147 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
149 6. CONTACTING THE DEVELOPERS, BUG REPORTING AND FEATURE REQUESTS
151 We value your feedback. In fact, we rely on it to improve Privoxy and its
152 configuration. However, please note the following hints, so we can provide you
153 with the best support:
155 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
159 For casual users, our support forum at SourceForge is probably best suited:
160 http://sourceforge.net/tracker/?group_id=11118&atid=211118
162 All users are of course welcome to discuss their issues on the users mailing
163 list, where the developers also hang around.
165 Note that the Privoxy mailing lists are moderated. Posts from unsubscribed
166 addresses have to be accepted manually by a moderator. This may cause a delay
167 of several days and if you use a subject that doesn't clearly mention Privoxy
168 or one of its features, your message may be accidentally discarded as spam.
170 If you aren't subscribed, you should therefore spend a few seconds to come up
171 with a proper subject. Additionally you should make it clear that you want to
172 get CC'd. Otherwise some responses will be directed to the mailing list only,
173 and you won't see them.
175 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
177 6.2. Reporting Problems
179 "Problems" for our purposes, come in two forms:
181 * Configuration issues, such as ads that slip through, or sites that don't
182 function properly due to one Privoxy "action" or another being turned "on".
184 * "Bugs" in the programming code that makes up Privoxy, such as that might
187 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
189 6.2.1. Reporting Ads or Other Configuration Problems
191 Please send feedback on ads that slipped through, innocent images that were
192 blocked, sites that don't work properly, and other configuration related
193 problem of default.action file, to http://sourceforge.net/tracker/?group_id=
194 11118&atid=460288, the Actions File Tracker.
196 New, improved default.action files may occasionally be made available based on
197 your feedback. These will be announced on the ijbswa-announce list and
198 available from our the files section of our project page.
200 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
202 6.2.2. Reporting Bugs
204 Please report all bugs through our bug tracker: http://sourceforge.net/tracker
205 /?group_id=11118&atid=111118.
207 Before doing so, please make sure that the bug has not already been submitted
208 and observe the additional hints at the top of the submit form. If already
209 submitted, please feel free to add any info to the original report that might
210 help to solve the issue.
212 Please try to verify that it is a Privoxy bug, and not a browser or site bug or
213 documented behaviour that just happens to be different than what you expected.
214 If unsure, try toggling off Privoxy, and see if the problem persists.
216 If you are using your own custom configuration, please try the stock configs to
217 see if the problem is configuration related. If you're having problems with a
218 feature that is disabled by default, please ask around on the mailing list if
219 others can reproduce the problem.
221 If you aren't using the latest Privoxy version, the bug may have been found and
222 fixed in the meantime. We would appreciate if you could take the time to
223 upgrade to the latest version (or even the latest CVS snapshot) and verify that
224 your bug still exists.
226 Please be sure to provide the following information:
228 * The exact Privoxy version you are using (if you got the source from CVS,
229 please also provide the source code revisions as shown in http://
230 config.privoxy.org/show-version).
232 * The operating system and versions you run Privoxy on, (e.g. Windows XP
233 SP2), if you are using a Unix flavor, sending the output of "uname -a"
234 should do, in case of GNU/Linux, please also name the distribution.
236 * The name, platform, and version of the browser you were using (e.g.
237 Internet Explorer v5.5 for Mac).
239 * The URL where the problem occurred, or some way for us to duplicate the
240 problem (e.g. http://somesite.example.com/?somethingelse=123).
242 * Whether your version of Privoxy is one supplied by the Privoxy developers
243 via SourceForge, or if you got your copy somewhere else.
245 * Whether you are using Privoxy in tandem with another proxy such as Tor. If
246 so, please temporary disable the other proxy to see if the symptoms change.
248 * Whether you are using a personal firewall product. If so, does Privoxy work
251 * Any other pertinent information to help identify the problem such as config
252 or log file excerpts (yes, you should have log file entries for each action
255 You don't have to tell us your actual name when filing a problem report, but
256 please use a nickname so we can differentiate between your messages and the
257 ones entered by other "anonymous" users that may respond to your request if
258 they have the same problem or already found a solution.
260 Please also check the status of your request a few days after submitting it, as
261 we may request additional information. If you use a SF id, you should
262 automatically get a mail when someone responds to your request.
264 The appendix of the Privoxy User Manual also has helpful information on
265 understanding actions, and action debugging.
267 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
269 6.3. Request New Features
271 You are welcome to submit ideas on new features or other proposals for
272 improvement through our feature request tracker at http://sourceforge.net/
273 tracker/?atid=361118&group_id=11118.
275 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
279 For any other issues, feel free to use the mailing lists. Technically
280 interested users and people who wish to contribute to the project are also
281 welcome on the developers list! You can find an overview of all Privoxy-related
282 mailing lists, including list archives, at: http://sourceforge.net/mail/?