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New to Proxomitron
Jul. 29, 2004, 08:27 PM
Post: #1
 
First post ever on this forum, and here I find myself a newb again. Figures.

I manage my own HOSTS file (via Supertrick, for now) and handle all my cookies, disabled activeX, yadda yadda yadda. My friend shows me Proxomitron and I love it. I go home, download the program, and find myself entirely lost.

Worse yet, Proxomitron is interfering with the java on Suprnova.org. It's also killing the security code gfx on a bunch of sites. I've just about had it with Proxomitron. Adding sites to the bypass list isn't helping.

I can't help but feel I'm doing something wrong, or missing something. I'm also a pretty capable guy when it comes to HTML, and would like to learn this program.

It would be a great help if someone can just link to me the most updated Lists, explain to me the switches, variables, and how they work (better than the Lists do), and send me on my merry way.

I'll try being nicer when you try being smarter.
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Jul. 29, 2004, 08:35 PM
Post: #2
 
Firstly, welcome! Eyes Closed Smile

Secondly, if my mind serves me correctly, Suprnova.org is a mirror/redirection link to other domains. Add this to your Bypass list:

[^/]++208.37.27.97/

A good filter set to start off with is http://www.jd5000.net , as it is highly customizable. If you'd like another excellent filter set, try Sidki's.

A good site for reference is http://www.sankey.ws/proxomitron.html

Do not feel awkward, I know exactly how you feel as I had trouble with the functions, lists, and filters. It takes a little time to get used to it, but when you do,it's a pleasure surfing on the Internet Eyes Closed Smile
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Jul. 29, 2004, 08:56 PM
Post: #3
 
Hey, thanks, that fixed it.

Also, the reference site was a big help. Now that I understand what things do, I just need to start playing with them.

I took a look at JD's filters, but I'm thinking I'd rather go with my own in order to learn the program better. Plus, I think I can do a better job :P

I noticed I have a hosts file that's quite a bit larger than any other single file I can find elsewhere. I've been compiling and adding to it for years now, removing redundant entries, etc.

I was wondering if it's possible/advisable for me to just dump this list into the AdList, or if this is just redundant and stupid (having the HOSTS file does pretty much the same thing anyway).

Don't get happy yet, though -- I've got (potentially) many more questions.

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Jul. 30, 2004, 01:40 AM
Post: #4
 
asb;

(I refuse to call someone stupid until they prove it!)

Second what Kye-U said, Welcome !!

Quote:I took a look at JD's filters, but I'm thinking I'd rather go with my own in order to learn the program better.  Plus, I think I can do a better job :P
I hope you were being funny. JD has a very well-deserved reputation among the cognoscenti. I think you'll find it easier to win the Indy 500 next year, in your Toyota Corolla, than to write a better set of filters than JD. Wink In a few months, who knows? Maybe you'll turn everyone's head. Big Teeth

Quote:I was wondering if it's possible/advisable for me to just dump th[e HOSTS] list into the AdList, or if this is just redundant and stupid.
It would be highly redundant, and a pain in the tush to maintain. You would have to remove all of the "where-to-go" entries (usually localhost or 127.0.0.1). The website names are all that Proxo understands.

Quote:Don't get happy yet, though -- I've got (potentially) many more questions.
You don't understand - we thrive on questions. That's the very reason we're here! Look around the rest of the threads. If something doesn't make sense to you, don't hesitate to ask about it. And in the General Discussion section, feel free to start any topic (within reason) that flips your switch. The only caveat is that we are a family oriented board, so we ask that you watch your language. (An occasional bleep slips by, but we do try to watch it.)


Oddysey

I'm no longer in the rat race - the rats won't have me!
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Jul. 30, 2004, 03:34 PM
Post: #5
 
Quote:asb;

please, a_s_b if you must

Quote:(I refuse to call someone stupid until they prove it!)

Amirable, truly, but it's tongue-in-cheek. Back in '91 or so I wrote a program to break all kinds of passwords and decode fields, etc. Being only 10, I decided that it was the greatest feat ever (hey, it was original at the time) and I called it SmartBox. I showed a few people, who laughed that I'd written it in COBAL and that it was written so poorly. They called it a_stupid_box, and the name stuck.

Then in about '96, when I was "cracking" hotmail accounts, I ran across an email of someone I didnt even know talking about this program that I was oh-so-sure didn't get past the four or 5 people who laughed at it. I saw it as a sign, and adopted it as my moniker.

Quote:I hope you were being funny. JD has a very well-deserved reputation among the cognoscenti. I think you'll find it easier to win the Indy 500 next year, in your Toyota Corolla, than to write a better set of filters than JD. Wink In a few months, who knows? Maybe you'll turn everyone's head. Big Teeth

Don't get me wrong -- I'm impressed with JD's work. The installer, uninstaller, holp files... he put a lot of love into it.

I intend(ed) to turn heads by making something even more modular and simple (step by step instructions and examples in every list file), but honestly, I've a better idea since then. Why not a collective process by which (everyone who wants to) shares a set list of filters. Once every week or so, all the changes to all the lists get compiled to master change lists hosted by some generous soul. The change lists are combed to pick out any malicious or prank entries (such as google.com in the AdList), then said changes can be distributed as updates.

The software to merge the updates to the old .txt files would be easy to write, as would autosubmission software to the master lists. Just and idea, and maybe more effort than anyone wants to put into this thing, but it would probably be a lot faster and easier for newbs to get into things, and it would surely be more comprehensive than the semi-organized (at best) system currently in place.

Quote:It would be highly redundant, and a pain in the tush to maintain. You would have to remove all of the "where-to-go" entries (usually localhost or 127.0.0.1). The website names are all that Proxo understands.

I've already got a 774 page text file of the sites without the IPs. I update it alongside my HOSTS file for distributing to people with the numerous other programs that don't require the IPs in order to block sites/ads/whatever.

I already tried adding it to the AdList, but I got a parser error every time I'd open a page. Could the file have been too large?

Quote:You don't understand - we thrive on questions. That's the very reason we're here! Look around the rest of the threads. If something doesn't make sense to you, don't hesitate to ask about it. And in the General Discussion section, feel free to start any topic (within reason) that flips your switch. The only caveat is that we are a family oriented board, so we ask that you watch your language. (An occasional bleep slips by, but we do try to watch it.)

Heh, maybe, in all the years I've been online, this will become the third forum I regularly contribute to.

On a side note, I've been horsing around with filters and managed to get IE6 to look quite a bit like Gopher (for those of you who remember Gopher...). Also, I was wondering about the specific licensening of the Proxomitron program. In specific, would I be allowed to make updated versions of the actual program and alter some of its core workings?

I'll try being nicer when you try being smarter.
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Jul. 30, 2004, 05:31 PM
Post: #6
 
a_s_b;

Oh Boy! You've got questions, we've got answers - and then some!!

Understood 'bout the underscores, see above. Nice tale 'bout your handle's history. Also, we now understand how you feel 'bout JD's stuff, etc. Good, we're all on the same page. :P

Quote:I intend(ed) to turn heads by making something even more modular and simple (step by step instructions and examples in every list file), but honestly, I've a better idea since then. Why not a collective process by which (everyone who wants to) shares a set list of filters. Once every week or so, all the changes to all the lists get compiled to master change lists hosted by some generous soul. The change lists are combed to pick out any malicious or prank entries (such as google.com in the AdList), then said changes can be distributed as updates.
Your idea has been put on the list to consider in the near future. After we get the <span style='color:#AD080A'>UPT</span> project started and well on it's way, we (the members of this forum) will give this serious consideration. You have my word on that.

Quote:.... and it would surely be more comprehensive than the semi-organized (at best) system currently in place.
System? We have a system, in place even?? Why wasn't I informed about this? KYE-U!! Banging Head Banging Head Banging Head

Seriously, there is no system of distribution for a simple reason. Proxo encourages anarchy (in the browser world, anyway). It is meant to allow one to see the World Wide Wait as one wishes to see it, not as web authors wish to cram it down one's throat (or wait.... can you have something crammed down your eyeballs? Ooooh, gruesome image. Maybe I'd better not go there, eh? <_< ) People like JD5000, AltoSax, sidki3003, and others too numerous to mention, all write complete filter sets, and then share them out of the largesse of their hearts. There is no formal channel for doing this, so it rests on the shoulders of various independent websites to help that distribution as best as they can. We carry sidki's set, but JD has yet to place his here. We're working on it, but he does have his own site, so who can blame him for not being so quick to post his stuff over here. (Hint, JD, hint! Big Teeth)

Quote:I've already got a 774 page text file of the sites without the IPs.... I already tried adding it to the AdList, but I got a parser error every time I'd open a page. Could the file have been too large?
I suppose that it could be too large, although I've never seen any published limits on file sizes. I could be in error though. But it would help if you stated the number of actual entries. We use a HOSTS file that has over 26,000 entries, and it works just fine. (As a test only, there's no real reason to do this, since if you have the HOSTS file, Proxo is redundant. (Feels funny saying that Proxo is superflous, but it's a fact that the HOSTS file is consulted first, before anything else takes place.)) Also, could you please post the exact error? 'Parser' is too general, if you get my drift. Thanks.

Quote:..... maybe, in all the years I've been online, this will become the third forum I regularly contribute to.
What, you don't think we can use you? And your opinions? Hell's Bells, dude, we'll take anybody - just ask, er... just ask..... hey! You were gonna make me stick my foot in my mouth, weren't you? Yeah, other people have made me to that before, but I'm learning how to prevent it. Just ask Jaded_Goth or Bold_Fortune!

Quote:On a side note, I've been horsing around with filters and managed to get IE6 to look quite a bit like Gopher (for those of you who remember Gopher...).
Gopher?! Gawd, talk about dating yourself! [rolleyes] Wy'joo wanna do 'at, man? And don' bogart those 'shrooms, man, thas some good s**t! Send some my way, man! [lol]

Quote:Also, I was wondering about the specific licensening of the Proxomitron program. In specific, would I be allowed to make updated versions of the actual program and alter some of its core workings?
You'll have to talk to Scott's estate on this one. No one I know of knows for sure just who is handling his affairs. For this one time, I gotta send you out into the cold, with no helpful info. Not that I don't care, mind you, it's just that I would have to start from scratch, trying to learn whom to contact, etc. I'm gonna offload that job to you, if you don't mind.

Geez, willya look at the time?! I gotta run... see ya in da funny papers!


Oddysey

I'm no longer in the rat race - the rats won't have me!
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Jul. 30, 2004, 05:58 PM
Post: #7
 
a_stupid_box Wrote:I've already got a 774 page text file of the sites without the IPs.&nbsp; I update it alongside my HOSTS file for distributing to people with the numerous other programs that don't require the IPs in order to block sites/ads/whatever.
Here is a way to help cut down the number of entries.

If you have 2 or more entries like:

a.adserver.com
123.adserver.com

You could merge them to be:

*.adserver.com

Wink
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Jul. 30, 2004, 10:22 PM
Post: #8
 
Quote:Your idea has been put on the list to consider in the near future. After we get the <span style='color:#AD080A'>UPT</span> project started and well on it's way, we (the members of this forum) will give this serious consideration. You have my word on that.

w00t! I'm helping, I'm helping!

Quote:System? We have a system, in place even?? Why wasn't I informed about this? KYE-U!! Banging Head Banging Head Banging Head

Well, there's a forum where people can post their offerings... that's _something_ of a system... kinda...

Quote:Seriously, there is no system of distribution for a simple reason. Proxo encourages anarchy (in the browser world, anyway). It is meant to allow one to see the World Wide Wait as one wishes to see it, not as web authors wish to cram it down one's throat (or wait.... can you have something crammed down your eyeballs? Ooooh, gruesome image. Maybe I'd better not go there, eh? <_< ) People like JD5000, AltoSax, sidki3003, and others too numerous to mention, all write complete filter sets, and then share them out of the largesse of their hearts. There is no formal channel for doing this, so it rests on the shoulders of various independent websites to help that distribution as best as they can. We carry sidki's set, but JD has yet to place his here. We're working on it, but he does have his own site, so who can blame him for not being so quick to post his stuff over here. (Hint, JD, hint! Big Teeth)

I see what you're saying. Really, I do. Baiscly, everyone has their own preferences as to what they want to allow and disallow. That's cool. I've slightly revamped the idea in this case. Rather than merging all entries into one big thing, make an index of individual lines and what java, image, sites, cookies, etc. they allow or block. This way, if a user wants sites A, B, and C to work while blocking image D, java app E, and site F, all he has to do is look it up on the index and add it to his own lists or adjust his filters accordingly. Given, it would be an ongoing, monumental task, but I think there's enough Proxomitron users to handle it.

Quote:I suppose that it could be too large, although I've never seen any published limits on file sizes. I could be in error though. But it would help if you stated the number of actual entries. We use a HOSTS file that has over 26,000 entries, and it works just fine. (As a test only, there's no real reason to do this, since if you have the HOSTS file, Proxo is redundant. (Feels funny saying that Proxo is superflous, but it's a fact that the HOSTS file is consulted first, before anything else takes place.)) Also, could you please post the exact error? 'Parser' is too general, if you get my drift. Thanks.

145,498 lines. I'll count 10% (rounded up to the nearest thousand) as instructions or indexing, so roughly one-hundred thirty thousand entries (130,000). This is blocking every ad I could find, as well as some other stuff, for a few years (some of you might not want okcupid.com blocked). For the first time in two years I removed an entry ( http://home.graffiti.net ) because a friend in another forum has an avatar hosted there.

Are you _sure_ the HOSTS file is consulted first? I'm using eDexter, and unless I'm jumping around REALLY fast, I see the Proxo's banner replacement rather than eDexter's.

I'm thinking the parser error was because I inadvertantly left the localhost entry in the file by mistake. Even if that's not the problem, I'm too lazy right now to replicate the problem and post the exact message.

Quote:What, you don't think we can use you? And your opinions? Hell's Bells, dude, we'll take anybody - just ask, er... just ask..... hey! You were gonna make me stick my foot in my mouth, weren't you? Yeah, other people have made me to that before, but I'm learning how to prevent it. Just ask Jaded_Goth or Bold_Fortune!

It's not that I don't join places because I don't think they can use me, I don't join normally because I don't think they [ideserve[/i] my glorious presence. Seriously, though, I don't usually get into something enough to join a forum about it. I happen to see a lot of potential in an already-great program, and think that even if I can't offer any practical help, my opinions and ideas are fine indeed. And I tend to have them in spades.

Quote:Gopher?! Gawd, talk about dating yourself! [rolleyes] Wy'joo wanna do 'at, man? And don' bogart those 'shrooms, man, thas some good s**t! Send some my way, man! [lol]

I happen to miss the days when usenet spam was a rare oddity, and when Netscape was a bug-ridden alpha. I don't know how far back some of you go, but there might be a few of you whom remember the days before advertisements latched onto the net like the face hugger from Alien.

Besides, I have a personal grudge against flash animation. I believe it stems from my complete lack of artistic ability.

Quote:You'll have to talk to Scott's estate on this one. No one I know of knows for sure just who is handling his affairs. For this one time, I gotta send you out into the cold, with no helpful info. Not that I don't care, mind you, it's just that I would have to start from scratch, trying to learn whom to contact, etc. I'm gonna offload that job to you, if you don't mind.

For the first time? Wink Assuming I can get past my current lethargy, I'll get right on that. I'm inclined to believe that if anyone owns the rights, it would be the government unless otherwise stated in a will. In which case, I'm sure no one would even notice/care if things were changed.

Quote:If you have 2 or more entries like:

a.adserver.com
123.adserver.com

You could merge them to be:

*.adserver.com

That doesn't work in the HOSTS file, though, and with over 130,000 entries I don't know if I'm willing to go through manually and pluck entries to insert wildcards.

P.S. Oddysey, I like (and can relate to, strangely) your sense of humor. Check out http://a_stupid_box.blogspot.com/2004/07/s...h-of-dream.html

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Jul. 31, 2004, 12:06 AM
Post: #9
 
a_s_b;

No, you can't be turned into a fire engine, at least not here in the good ol' USofA. You might check down in Tijuana, though. From what I hear, they can do miracles! [lol]

~~~~~~~
Parsing error? Certainly could be a missed "host" entry - the localhost or 127.0.0.1. Easy enough to do that, after 145K+ entries!! Next time you might try the low-carb version, found here: hpHOSTS Board. Tastes great, and less filling! :P

~~~~~~~
Picking:
> sites to allow (bypass)
> sites to block
> ads to block
> filters to work according to the above
> default conditions when all else fails to match......

All of these things are what you describe in your "all-inclusive" set. Holy GUI, Batman, that's another whole application, fer sure! Wanna go on a coding spree? Once again, I can only do one thing at a time, and the <span style='color:#AD080A'>UPT</span> is closest to the front burner...... But your suggestion is now on the ever-growing list of things to consider. There are some other programmers out there who specialize in things like this, so who knows, it may happen before we even take it up for discussion. (Maybe they're lurking here. :o)

~~~~~~~
Quote:Are you _sure_ the HOSTS file is consulted first? I'm using eDexter, and unless I'm jumping around REALLY fast, I see the Proxo's banner replacement rather than eDexter's.
Yep, most assuredly sure. The simple version of how things happen is this:

> The browser sees a request, and passes it to the OS for transport to the network;
> The OS attempts to resolve any addresses locally (via the HOSTS file) before going out to the network for DNS services. The address will always be resolved before anything is passed on for further processing;
> The answer comes back from either the HOSTS file or a remote DNS (outside of the local machine). If address was resolved by the HOSTS file, then the browser will display whatever it's told to. Localhost or 127.0.0.1 will, of course, display nada. But it's important to remember that the resolution was successful, so there's no error message;
> If HOSTS failed to find an entry (or there isn't a HOSTS file) then a remote DNS (again, outside of the local machine) is consulted. If that fails to resolve the address, then an error of the '404' kind is generated. Whichever proggie is first in the communications chain will have the first shot at dealing with that error. If it's Proxo, then PRESTO!, green-on-black time. If it's eDexter, then you get something a little more informative.

If you are getting Proxo's screen most or all of the time, and you wanna see eDexter's report instead, you'll have to reverse the order in which these two are placed in the communications chain.

That's the simple version(!) If I need to get any more detailed or technical, then Ralph will report me to the Nonsense Police for abusive postings! [angry] (Sorry, Ralph. Wink )

~~~~~~~
Scott left family behind. It was his sister the broke the news to the Proxo community at large. No government necessary. There are a lot of people who'd like to get their hands on the original source code, for whatever reasons, but I believe you'll find that the aforementioned sister, and any other relatives, will have the final say. If they are keeping a low-profile, then we'll just have to wait and see what happens.


Ok, that's my core dump for the afternoon. It's time to go play music-monkey. See ya all manananat!


Oddysey

I'm no longer in the rat race - the rats won't have me!
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Jul. 31, 2004, 12:47 AM
Post: #10
 
I prefer to use a HOSTS file that will block as much junk as possible. I don't see why I'd want to downgrade from my current HOSTS file to one with fewer entries, but if you can explain why I would I'd be glad to hear it. Ideally I'd like to do away with either HOSTS or Proxo, as I have noticed a bit of slowdown since I've been using both. I get the feeling that the HOSTS file wins in the more comprehensive solution arena, at least as far as blocking things out entirely, but honestly I prefer proxo's flexibility when it comes to browsing (I noticed it blocking ads that the HOSTS file can't due to them being hosted onsite).

If worse comes to worse and I _do_ have to keep both programs, I'd like to have as few entries, exceptions, lists, filters, etc. in each for speed and practicality. I.E. I'd prefer a single, insanely long (properly indexed) filter list to multiple, shorter filter lists. Also, I'd prefer to block out annoying sites entirely to just filtering out their ads and popups.

I know how the HOSTS file works, and how Proximotron works, and all kinds of networking stuff (I'm not a complete newb, I've a degree in Networking). I just couldn't figure out why sometimes I'd see eDexter and other times proxo's thinger. Sometimes the simple solutions are the ones you miss.

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Jul. 31, 2004, 07:24 AM
Post: #11
 
a_s_b
Quote:Sometimes the simple solutions are the ones you miss.
Boy howdy, you ain't said a mouthful of snackbar there, brother. Amen to that! Big Teeth

As for using HOSTS vs. Proxo...... I use both of 'em. I depend on Proxo for all of my protection while using the browser. But, since Proxo can't protect me from malicious websites while using my email client, I resort to the HOSTS file. At least that gives me some protection, even if it's a bit rude and crude.

If you do go this route, I strongly suggest that you consider putting your HOSTS file on a diet! I'll bet some of those addresses in there haven't been live since the Millenium came about!! Big Teeth


Oddysey

I'm no longer in the rat race - the rats won't have me!
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Jul. 31, 2004, 01:15 PM
Post: #12
 
I've never used a HOSTS file so I guess mine is on a diet. Just use Proxo, Spywareblaster and my firewall that has IDS/IPS filtering. Never been affected by any of the parasites out there so far. I use OE for my e-mail and it gets filtered by Proxo; although I view my e-mail on the server before I d/l it.
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Jul. 31, 2004, 05:08 PM
Post: #13
 
besafe,you've got your bases well covered,there.

For me,though,the HOSTS file represents just that teensy bit extra insurance against unwittingly landing on a *known* nasty site.

Even before I came to know and love Proxo,it did a grand job at blocking ads in webpages as well.
I am certain there's another,more complex side to HOSTS too,which would/could ultimately lead to all respectable computers refusing to route traffic from unpleasant sources...Oddyesy will have to help clarify that,though...

????,??,????`????,? _J_G_ ????,??,????`????,?
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Aug. 01, 2004, 12:48 AM
Post: #14
 
Jaded_Goth;

Not sure just what I should clarify here.......

Lemme 'splain what the HOSTS file actually does. (Ralph, if you're lurking, turn off your sense of wonder for a bit, OK? Wink)

In essence, the HOSTS file is a mini-DNS. You all know that a DNS is a server that resolves alphabetical addresses into numerical ones, those with the familiar xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx grouping. But why do we even have this kind of file in the first place? Good question.

In the early days of computers and networks, accessing a DNS over a modem, at wild and dangerous speeds ranging up to an electron-shattering 2400 baud, it was not desireable to spend time just to find that numerical address. So it was that network engineers devised a scheme for allowing users to store commonly accessed addresses right on their individual machines.

Back then, users were called clients, and servers were called hosts. Hence the HOSTS file was so named for obvious reasons. Within it, we found the alphabetical name, and either a comma or at least one space, and the appropriate numerical address. (That delimiter was dependent on what OS was in use.) Back then, you'd easily see things like: (BTW, these are current and valid, so don't go there unless you really wish to.)

gopher://h1.jpl.nasa.gov/ 137.78.160.180
wais://lcs.mit.edu/ 18.26.0.36

and so on and so forth.

Now, I can't speak as to how long it was before some enterprising soul thought of it, and put it into use, but soon enough after the HOSTS file concept was introduced, somebody "tinkered" with it (as a prank, according to historical sources), and inserted 127.0.0.1 after all the entries. <span style='color:red'>Presto - instant pandemonium!</span> That user was effectively locked out of every remote computer he normally accessed. The sysadmin was able to deduce what happened in short order, and logged the "fault".

(EDIT: Why was that user locked out? Shame on you for not reading my previous post. When the computer resolved an address via the HOSTS file, it no longer needed to access a remote machine for DNS services. The computer found no problems, it was only doing as instructed. It was the user who "perceived" an error - thanks to the prankster.)

About the same time, two clowns lawyers, both having experienced the power of email during their school days, and desiring immortal infamy, cross-posted a news-group advertisement for their business. (Follow this link for more history, I've only touched on it.) This was sent to several thousand such news-groups, which in turn probably hit more than a half-million people, right between their collective eyes. Such was the hue and cry across the land, oy vey! And system admins, almost immediately, blacklisted the lawyer's host server - partially to protect themselves in case some spam-haters might reply with nasty threats of dire consequences (there were a few that got through, and made a splash in the news), and partly to forestall bandwidth swamping.

How did they do that, you ask? You already know, don't you. (No answer required.) The HOSTS file was modified to prohibit that domain from being accessed by the user. The entry? Your friend and mine - localhost. And the rest, as they say, is history.

~~~~~~~~
Lemme now speak to the modern versions of most HOSTS files found today.

All the HOSTS files I've seen on the 'Net in the last several years are aimed at preventing you from visiting websites, not resolving addresses more quickly than a remote DNS machine. Several such files abound, and a_s_b's is no different, except for size(!) Personally, I have no complaint about that, it's none of my business. Only some folks add sites to a HOSTS file for some of the flimsiest of reasons - "I saw an ad there, once." I mean, come on, let it go already. Did you kill your TV because you once saw an ad.... oh, wait... I did kill my TV for that very reason. Never mind. Carry on. [blush]

The point is, just be aware that some lists are overly zealous in preventing sites from being viewed. The other side of that coin is, you ("the user") can modify the file on your machine. Did you find an entry that's blocking access to your favorite site? No sweat, GI - remove it! Just beware that you may have to reboot your machine in order to force the OS to reload the file (some OS'es are not so finicky). Other than that, you're off to the races! Big Teeth

Was this helpful for you? If not, please don't shoot the forum administrator - he had no clue I was gonna do this, I swear!

(Ralph - switch "sense of wonder" back on now.)


Oddysey

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The opinions expressed herein were formed solely by the author, after due deliberation and consideration for the feelings of the weasels lawyers mentioned above. That period of cogitation lasted just long enough to pop a top again, and they were toast. (The jerkoffs lawyers' feelings, not the bozos lawyers themselves. That is, if you believe that buttwipes lawyers have feelings. :o :P [rolleyes] [lol])
[/disclaimer]

I'm no longer in the rat race - the rats won't have me!
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Aug. 01, 2004, 12:50 AM
Post: #15
 
Oooops, I forgotted something.....

<span style='color:red'>EDIT:</span> Post substantially changed, please re-read.

I had advocated that one should enter this very forum's domain into the HOSTS file. Unfortunately, it seems to be pointing to a redirect server, so you needn't bother. However, the remaining paragraph is still good info.
<span style='color:red'>[/edit]</span>

If you're gonna use a HOSTS file, why not use if for both purposes - as originally intended, and as a blocker? Try putting the correct domain name and IP number in the HOSTS file. Dial-up users in particular should realize quicker initial access times. Also, if you sometimes wonder why a site is taking forever to load, do you even know that the address has been resolved yet? Perhaps the delay is a very slow DNS machine on the 'Net. Your HOSTS file eliminates that possibility - the address has already been resolved.


Oddysey

I'm no longer in the rat race - the rats won't have me!
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