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 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., 59
30 * Temple Place - Suite 330, Boston, MA 02111-1307, USA.
32 *********************************************************************/
34 This README is included with the development version of Privoxy 3.1.1, which
35 will eventually become Privoxy v3.2. See http://www.privoxy.org/ for more
36 information. The current code level is alpha, and may break in mysterious ways
37 :) There may be features only partially implemented, or worse, not functional.
39 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
41 Privoxy is a web proxy with advanced filtering capabilities for protecting
42 privacy, filtering web page content, managing cookies, controlling access, and
43 removing ads, banners, pop-ups and other obnoxious Internet junk. Privoxy has a
44 very flexible configuration and can be customized to suit individual needs and
45 tastes. Privoxy has application for both stand-alone systems and multi-user
48 Privoxy is based on Internet Junkbuster (tm).
50 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
54 NEWS! As of 03/24/02, the name of this project has been changed from ijbswa/
55 Junkbuster to Privoxy. This is reflected in many of the included files.
57 WARNING! If upgrading from earlier versions of this project via RPM packages,
58 the new package will delete any previously installed 'Junkbuster' packages.
60 IMPORTANT! READ! Configuration Change as of 17 Mar 2002: The default listening
61 port is now 8118 due to conflicts with port 8000 assignment. You will need to
62 change your browser if upgrading!!! And maybe firewall, etc.
64 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
68 To build Privoxy from source, autoconf, GNU make (gmake), and, of course, a C
69 compiler like gcc are required.
71 When building from a source tarball (either release version or nightly CVS
72 tarball), first unpack the source:
74 tar xzvf privoxy-3.1.1-beta-src* [.tgz or .tar.gz]
77 For retrieving the current CVS sources, you'll need CVS installed. Note that
78 sources from CVS are development quality, and may not be stable, or well
79 tested. To download CVS source:
81 cvs -d:pserver:anonymous@cvs.ijbswa.sourceforge.net:/cvsroot/ijbswa login
82 cvs -z3 -d:pserver:anonymous@cvs.ijbswa.sourceforge.net:/cvsroot/ijbswa co current
85 This will create a directory named current/, which will contain the source
88 Then, in either case, to build from unpacked tarball or CVS source:
92 ./configure # (--help to see options)
93 make # (the make from gnu, gmake for *BSD)
95 make -n install # (to see where all the files will go)
96 make install # (to really install)
98 If you have gnu make, you can have the first four steps automatically done for
103 in the freshly downloaded or unpacked source directory.
105 For more detailed instructions on how to build Redhat and SuSE RPMs, Windows
106 self-extracting installers, building on platforms with special requirements
107 etc, please consult the developer manual.
109 For binary RPM installation, and other platforms, see the user-manual as well.
111 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
115 privoxy [--help] [--version] [--no-daemon] [--pidfile PIDFILE] [--user USER
116 [.GROUP]] [config_file]
118 See the man page or User Manual for an explanation of each option, and other
119 configuration and usage issues.
121 If no config_file is specified on the command line, Privoxy will look for a
122 file named 'config' in the current directory (except Win32 which will look for
123 'config.txt'). If no config_file is found, Privoxy will fail to start.
125 Or for Red Hat based distributions: /etc/rc.d/init.d/privoxy start
127 Or for SuSE: /etc/rc.d/privoxy start
129 Or Debian: /etc/init.d/privoxy start
131 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
135 See: 'config', 'default.action', 'user.action', and 'default.filter'.
136 'user.action' is for personal and local configuration preferences. These are
137 all well commented. Most of the magic is in '*.action' files. 'user.action'
138 should be used for any actions customizations. On Unix-like systems, these
139 files are installed in /etc/privoxy. On Windows, then wherever the executable
140 itself is installed. There are many significant changes and advances since
141 Junkbuster v2.0.x. The User Manual has an explanation of all configuration
142 options, and examples: http://www.privoxy.org/user-manual/.
144 Be sure to set your browser(s) for HTTP/HTTPS Proxy at <IP>:<Port>, or whatever
145 you specify in the config file under 'listen-address'. DEFAULT is localhost:
148 The actions list can be configured via the web interface accessed via http://
149 p.p/, as well other options.
151 All configuration files are subject to unannounced changes during the
154 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
158 There should be documentation in the 'doc' subdirectory, but it may not be in
159 sync with current code. In particular, see the User Manual there, the FAQ, and
160 those interested in Privoxy development, should look at developer-manual.
162 The most up to date source of information on the current development version,
163 may be either comments in the source code, or the included configuration files.
164 The source and configuration files are all well commented. The main
165 configuration files are: 'config', 'default.action', and 'default.filter' in
166 the toplevel source directory.
168 Included documentation may vary according to platform and packager.
170 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
172 6. CONTACTING THE DEVELOPERS, BUG REPORTING AND FEATURE REQUESTS
174 We value your feedback. In fact, we rely on it to improve Privoxy and its
175 configuration. However, please note the following hints, so we can provide you
176 with the best support:
178 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
182 For casual users, our support forum at SourceForge is probably best suited:
183 http://sourceforge.net/tracker/?group_id=11118&atid=211118
185 All users are of course welcome to discuss their issues on the users mailing
186 list, where the developers also hang around.
188 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
192 Please report all bugs only through our bug tracker: http://sourceforge.net/
193 tracker/?group_id=11118&atid=111118.
195 Before doing so, please make sure that the bug has not already been submitted
196 and observe the additional hints at the top of the submit form.
198 Please try to verify that it is a Privoxy bug, and not a browser or site bug
199 first. If unsure, try toggling off Privoxy, and see if the problem persists.
200 The appendix of the user manual also has helpful information on action
201 debugging. If you are using your own custom configuration, please try the stock
202 configs to see if the problem is configuration related.
204 If not using the latest version, chances are that the bug has been found and
205 fixed in the meantime. We would appreciate if you could take the time to
206 upgrade to the latest version (or even the latest CVS snapshot) and verify your
207 bug, but this is not required for reporting.
209 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
211 6.3. Request New Features
213 You are welcome to submit ideas on new features or other proposals for
214 improvement through our feature request tracker at http://sourceforge.net/
215 tracker/?atid=361118&group_id=11118.
217 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
219 6.4. Report Ads or Other Actions-Related Problems
221 Please send feedback on ads that slipped through, innocent images that were
222 blocked, and any other problems relating to the default.action file through our
223 actions feedback mechanism located at http://www.privoxy.org/actions/. On this
224 page, you will also find a bookmark which will take you back there from any
225 troubled site and even pre-fill the form!
227 New, improved default.action files will occasionally be made available based on
228 your feedback. These will be announced on the ijbswa-announce list and
229 available from our project page.
231 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
235 For any other issues, feel free to use the mailing lists. Technically
236 interested users and people who wish to contribute to the project are also
237 welcome on the developers list! You can find an overview of all Privoxy-related
238 mailing lists, including list archives, at: http://sourceforge.net/mail/?