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#46
January 28th 17, 10:30 PM
posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.general
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OMG. It's a LOT of work to set up Firefox for privacy on WinXP!
R.Wieser replied:
The word "proxy" is a non-specific _container_ word, just like "computer", "car" or "store" is: The word itself says very little, its what you *do* with it thats important. Thank you for summarizing that "proxy" is like saying "car". I have heard for many years this word "proxy" and I have never found anything "actionable" about it. I'm sure there are actionable things that help privacy. But I don't know them. Hence why I asked. The dictionary I googled states it as follows: "proxy", something/one which acts on behalf on something/someone else. Notice that it doesn't mention *what* its doing for that something/one else. :-) Thank you for looking up what the meaning of proxy is, which is, like "car" too vague to be actionable, so I agree with you. If I could define what to do in an actionable sense, I would try it like this (note that I am making up a term called foo-proxy for our purposes). Q: What is (this made up) foo-proxy for Firefox on WinXP? A: Foo-proxy is a setting you set in Firefox on WinXP which will be a free public server IP address on the Internet which will then "act on behalf of your computer" by sending its IP address to all your target web sites (and not your IP address). This enhances your privacy because the target web site has no way of obtaining your IP address from the foo-proxy server. The target web sites will NOT know your IP address! The target web sites will only know the IP address of the foo-proxy server! To set up foo-proxy, simply set your firefox on WinXP privacy settings to: HOST = foo.proxy.com or IP=123.123.123.123 Something like that above (with real actionable data, of course) is what I would expect anyone who knows something about proxies to suggest. As an example, thake what you think a "Corporate Proxy" is and does: Its some hardware, and its used to block access to certain websites. But doesn't a simple MVP Hosts file block privacy-leaking sites even better? A friend of mine has young kids, and his "Domestic Proxy" (I made that combination up :-) ) does the very same: its on a seperate compute, and it blocks his kids from accessing certain (as of yet) undesirable websites*. If all a proxy is, is a "blocker", that's nothing. They don't even need the term proxy to block things. It's just a blocker, if that's all that a proxy is. The MVP Hosts file is a better blocker (for the obvious reason that it blocks all ports, and not just port 80). *It also does virus and malware scanning/removal, web content caching, as well as being a file and print server among other things. OMG. It suddenly got more complex, with malware scanning and caching and virus removal, but it's still not in the least actionable. In short, IMHO you're probably much better off describing what actions should be taken to safeguard the OPs privacy (in regard to webbrowsing) and maybe which kind of software would be able to do that. Exactly. What actual *actions* can be taken now for any of us who have Firefox on WinXP to use this "proxy" suggestion to enhance our privacy? As for blocking websites in the OPs circumstances, wouldn't the "hosts" file not be usable for that ? :-p Exactly what I said. At least the MVP Hosts file works for all ports, not just port 80. 
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#47
January 28th 17, 11:36 PM
posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.general
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OMG. It's a LOT of work to set up Firefox for privacy on WinXP!
On Sat, 28 Jan 2017 22:30:19 +0000 (UTC)
Message-ID: Ann Dunham wrote: In any case, there are several browser plugins. The one for Firefox is: "Easy Whitelist". It basically does the same thing as a Local Proxy Server, with some minor differences. While I tremendously appreciate that you're attempting to answer the question (which I do very much appreciate!), I don't at all see how a "whitelist" or a "blacklist" is any different than the MVP hosts file (in effect). 127.0.0.1 host.bad-domain.com #Works with domains, not IP addresses I certainly can appreciate that blocking the bad guys is good for privacy, but there are already fantastically simple ways to block the bad guys (e.g., the MVP hosts file as just one example). So how is this proxy blocking any better than hosts blocking at the operating system level (where someone else maintains that MVP hosts file for our convenience but which we can edit with any text editor should we want to modify it ourselves)? the MVP hosts file is worthless compared to whitelisting in my opinion. Not only is the MVP hosts file huge and consumes memory resources, but also slows down your internet experience because of its size. Been there, done that. And no, you cannot block IP addresses with a host file. Only domains. In any case, let me ask you a question. Is it easier to whitelist the handful of sites you visit or blacklist hundreds of thousands of sites you don't want? You want something "actionable"? Do this: Go to www.mozilla.org and search their plugins for "Easy Whitelist". Download their latest version and install it into Firefox. Read the documentation on how to set it up. Get a decent firewall, get rid of the MVP hosts file and forget about proxies. Have nothing, I mean nothing to do with google. Hang on to your google searches and google mail and all your efforts will be in vain. Do those things and you'll be good to go. The answer to your question, how does whitelisting help with your privacy? It does so by bypassing websites that track every move you make, like Google Analytics to name the big one, simply by not allowing your browser to access them. If the site is not in the whitelist, the browser can't access the website; Domain or IP, doesn't matter. I don't know how to make this any clearer or plainer. If you don't get it, you never will. I gave you something "actionable". It's up to you now.
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#48
January 29th 17, 06:58 AM
posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.general
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OMG. It's a LOT of work to set up Firefox for privacy on WinXP!
Ann Dunham wrote:
Good Guy replied: Frankly, you shouldn't be using XP if it is a lot of work!!!!!!!!! It is time to get back to your old hobby of knitting and cooking. For what I do on a computer (Microsoft Office 2007 & web browsing and email), there's nothing on Windows 10 (or 7) that I need. Nothing. In fact, without the start menu, it's actually less functional. I know you can sort of kind of mostly regain the start menu, but even with those classic start menu add ons, the Windows 10 start menu is still not as simple and easy to manage as it is with Windows XP. What amazes me is that there was absolutely nothing wrong with the Windows XP start menu (as long as you never used the default one). If you added your own start menu folder in C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\{name of your personal menu} everything worked perfectly (especially if that itself was merely a shortcut link to a folder in your c:\mydata hierarchy which you backed up frequently). They ruined a good thing, just because they wanted people to think windows 10 was different (somehow) from WinXP. And that is why I'm on WinXP. +1 Actually, from what I've read, a lot of folks are still sticking with Windows 7, of all things, so that Windows 7 is, in effect, becoming the new Windows XP as far as the user base is concerned (and that MS is a bit miffed about that). I think aprrox 50% of the users pulled in this large sample were still using Windows 7 - it was the highest percentage of all. That said, if you buy a new computer or tablet nowadays, I don't think you have much choice. But admitedly some of those new tablets seem pretty slick, from a hardware standpoint. I feel a similar way about the older editions of MS Offfice (still using Office 2000, of all things) :-) They keep adding more bloat, and (quite often) unnecessary and unwanted "features" (at least for a lot of us), whilst simultaneously taking away some more simple and direct control of the operating system (to "save us from ourselves").
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#50
January 29th 17, 08:03 PM
posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.general
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OMG. It's a LOT of work to set up Firefox for privacy on WinXP!
Bill in Co replied:
I feel a similar way about the older editions of MS Offfice (still using Office 2000, of all things) :-) They keep adding more bloat, and (quite often) unnecessary and unwanted "features" (at least for a lot of us), whilst simultaneously taking away some more simple and direct control of the operating system (to "save us from ourselves"). You know, I have an Adobe Acrobat 6 which is the same as 5 which is the same as 4, and which, I guess, is essentially the same as 7, 8, 9, and 10. They have to make believe it's different. But all I need is stuff that was always the a. Read and write and modify PDF files Same with MS Office. It's the same stuff version after version after version after version. They move the menus around in a make-believe attempt to have you "feel" that it's different but it's just a new coat of paint on the same old stuff. Win10 is just the same as WinXP in almost all ways, but yes, you are correct that, in the usa, it would be nearly impossible to purchase a new PC without it.
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#51
January 29th 17, 08:03 PM
posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.general
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OMG. It's a LOT of work to set up Firefox for privacy on WinXP!
IQN replied:
the MVP hosts file is worthless compared to whitelisting in my opinion. Not only is the MVP hosts file huge and consumes memory resources, but also slows down your internet experience because of its size. Been there, done that. MVP Hosts Pro: a. Someone else maintains it yet it's easy to modify b. Works for all ports, all browsers, all operating systems Proposed MVP Hosts Con: a. File is huge (so what?) b. Consumes memory (I guess, but really, how much?) c. Slows down Internet because it's huge (yeah, but it speeds up Internet by blocking zillions of useless domains) And no, you cannot block IP addresses with a host file. Only domains. Drat. Maybe Acrylic DNS can block IP addresses? But anyway, when really do you need to block an IP address? In any case, let me ask you a question. Is it easier to whitelist the handful of sites you visit or blacklist hundreds of thousands of sites you don't want? Not so simple to answer but the simple answer is that I don't want to think about the fifty or so sites that Facebook has agreements with if the MVP people already figured that out for me. You want something "actionable"? Yup. Do this: OK. Go to www.mozilla.org and search their plugins for "Easy Whitelist". Download their latest version and install it into Firefox. Read the documentation on how to set it up. Hmmm. No "easy whitelist" plugin exists. https://www.google.com/search?q=easy...firefox+plugin Do you mean "Whitelist Ninja"? https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/fir...te-list-ninja/ Or "Leechblock"? https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/tag/whitelist Get a decent firewall Got me Comodo right now. Had ZoneAlarm yesterday. get rid of the MVP hosts file Nah. MVP Hosts is too good to be just thrown away. It's so simple. So effective. And so easy. and forget about proxies. I'm with you on proxies. I still don't have any actionable item on proxies other than forget about them. Have nothing, I mean nothing to do with google. I completely understand you on that one of staying away from Google. It's like not having a cousin who works for ISIS. Never a good thing those ISIS or Google folks. Hang on to your google searches and google mail and all your efforts will be in vain. Duckduckgo isn't too bad as an actionable alternative to Google search. Dunno what is a good alternative to Google Mail though (as Yahoo is filled with spam). Do those things and you'll be good to go. I agree with all but your ditch-MVP-Hosts suggestion. The answer to your question, how does whitelisting help with your privacy? It does so by bypassing websites that track every move you make, like Google Analytics to name the big one, simply by not allowing your browser to access them. How's that any different than MVP Hosts again? If the site is not in the whitelist, the browser can't access the website; Domain or IP, doesn't matter. Yup. Just like the MVP Hosts. Which is simpler and works for all operating systems and browsers. I don't know how to make this any clearer or plainer. If you don't get it, you never will. I think I get everything except anything about proxies other than not to use them. I gave you something "actionable". It's up to you now. I've already done almost all that you say. But the good news is that there are a million people who have the same needs, so, the goal is for them to get the same actionable information.
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#52
January 29th 17, 08:50 PM
posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.general
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OMG. It's a LOT of work to set up Firefox for privacy on WinXP!
On Sun, 29 Jan 2017 20:03:26 +0000 (UTC)
Message-ID: Ann Dunham wrote: OK. Go to www.mozilla.org and search their plugins for "Easy Whitelist". Download their latest version and install it into Firefox. Read the documentation on how to set it up. Hmmm. No "easy whitelist" plugin exists. https://www.google.com/search?q=easy...firefox+plugin Do you mean "Whitelist Ninja"? https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/fir...te-list-ninja/ Or "Leechblock"? https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/tag/whitelist Wow, Easy Whitelist is gone! POOF! As if it never existed! No information as to what happened to it, not even a hint. No hits on search engines. Nothing! I stll have it on my browser though. grin Leechblock is a blacklist app - no better than MVP. I suppose Whitelist Ninja will suffice. It's was designed to keep children from wondering off into the unknown. Yep, that will work - unless, they whitelisted google internally.
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#53
January 29th 17, 09:14 PM
posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.general
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OMG. It's a LOT of work to set up Firefox for privacy on WinXP!
On Sun, 29 Jan 2017 20:50:18 +0000 (UTC)
Message-ID: IQN wrote: Wow, Easy Whitelist is gone! POOF! As if it never existed! No information as to what happened to it, not even a hint. No hits on search engines. Nothing! I stll have it on my browser though. grin Leechblock is a blacklist app - no better than MVP. I suppose Whitelist Ninja will suffice. It's was designed to keep children from wondering off into the unknown. Yep, that will work - unless, they whitelisted google internally. I found his personal info: Developer Information Name: Karl Bunnell Location USA Occupation: Software Engineer User since: October 24, 2011 Number of add-ons developed: 0 add-ons 0 add-ons, WHAT??? Not according to my plugins dialog: quote Easy Whitelist by Karl Bunnell Last Updated: September 26, 2015 This add-on provides an easy way to protect your children from dangerous websites on the internet by defining a "whitelist" of websites the children are allowed to visit. Any websites not included in this whitelist will be blocked. Once this add-on is installed, the next time the browser is loaded you'll be required to set a password to secure the "Easy Whitelist Settings" Dialog, the Add-Ons panel and the 'about:config" panel. You'll also be asked to provide a security question and corresponding answer that you can use to reset a forgotten password. Please be aware that if you forget the password and the answer to the security question you'll be locked out of some functions of the browser! Create a secure security question that you'll be sure to know the answer to if a password is forgotten at some point in the future. The quickest way to begin is to go to: "Tools-Easy Whitelist Settings", supply the password then check "Enable Website Recording". Define the list of allowed websites by sitting down with your children and visiting the websites they frequent. Once all their favorite websites have been visited, simply click the "Stop Recording Websites to Easy Whitelist" button in the grey notification box that appears at the top of the browser content pane after each website is added. It is possible to add websites one by one when the yellow notification box appears at the top of the browser content pane by clicking the "Add to whitelist" button. This add-on is also great to help keep adults more productive! Simply add the "allowed" sites to the Easy Whitelist! All other sites will be blocked. /quote
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#54
January 29th 17, 11:17 PM
posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.general
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OMG. It's a LOT of work to set up Firefox for privacy on WinXP!
On Sat, 28 Jan 2017 22:30:14 +0000 (UTC), Ann Dunham
wrote: Proxies are often run by hobbyists, and change IP addresses often. No way some banana regime can keep tabs on all of them. I want to test out a free public proxy but I'm not sure which one to use. It's a gamble. No trustworthy proxy will stay on the same IP for long, or it will be tagged and put on a "watch" list, and maybe even surveilled. And the untrustworthy ones, ditto, they have a bad reputation to maintain. Having a fixed and known IP would spoil that.  []'s -- Don't be evil - Google 2004 We have a new policy - Google 2012
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#55
January 29th 17, 11:24 PM
posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.general
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OMG. It's a LOT of work to set up Firefox for privacy on WinXP!
On Sat, 28 Jan 2017 22:30:19 +0000 (UTC), Ann Dunham
wrote: IQN replied: There are several different types of proxies. Thank you for stating that because when I googled, I found so much that, in actuality, because there is so much, I found nothing actionable. The one you would be looking for is called a Local Proxy Server which resides on Your computer. This is what we're looking for! An actionable answer to Firefox "proxy" privacy! At least now when I google, I can search for a "Local Proxy Server" for Firefox on Windows XP! Oh dear.... I think he was referring to something like Privoxy. Sure, it will help a little, by blocking stuff, but it's VERY difficult to configure. I used to use it, eons ago... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Privoxy []'s -- Don't be evil - Google 2004 We have a new policy - Google 2012
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#56
January 29th 17, 11:46 PM
posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.general
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OMG. It's a LOT of work to set up Firefox for privacy on WinXP!
On Sun, 29 Jan 2017 20:50:18 +0000 (UTC), IQN
wrote: Wow, Easy Whitelist is gone! POOF! As if it never existed! No information as to what happened to it, not even a hint. No hits on search engines. Nothing! As an example of a proxy: https://proxy.suma-ev.de/cgi-bin/nph...user/kbunnell/ Yes, he was the developer of Easy Whitelist. It must have worked, or Mozilla would not have exterminated him. https://web.archive.org/web/20150318...asy-whitelist/ If you want to try it. Right click and save as. []'s -- Don't be evil - Google 2004 We have a new policy - Google 2012
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#57
January 30th 17, 12:17 AM
posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.general
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OMG. It's a LOT of work to set up Firefox for privacy on WinXP!
On Sun, 29 Jan 2017 21:46:22 -0200, Shadow wrote:
On Sun, 29 Jan 2017 20:50:18 +0000 (UTC), IQN wrote: Wow, Easy Whitelist is gone! POOF! As if it never existed! No information as to what happened to it, not even a hint. No hits on search engines. Nothing! As an example of a proxy: https://proxy.suma-ev.de/cgi-bin/nph...user/kbunnell/ Yes, he was the developer of Easy Whitelist. It must have worked, or Mozilla would not have exterminated him. https://web.archive.org/web/20150318...asy-whitelist/ If you want to try it. Right click and save as. Hum, it's been deleted from archive.org Found it here. If you have the original, can you check if it's authentic ? http://kaymakli.general.services.met...addons/344992/ easy_whitelist-2.2-fx.xpi MD5: 3D52BB602B9D2C791C2B4BBB3ADF5300 SHA-1: 68B9444CDF8ACBB55909EF44A3FB88627BFACF95 rdf says it runs on FF 3.6 to 17, which is what I use. TIA []'s -- Don't be evil - Google 2004 We have a new policy - Google 2012
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#58
January 30th 17, 12:56 AM
posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.general
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OMG. It's a LOT of work to set up Firefox for privacy on WinXP!
Shadow replied:
I want to test out a free public proxy but I'm not sure which one to use. It's a gamble. No trustworthy proxy will stay on the same IP for long, or it will be tagged and put on a "watch" list, and maybe even surveilled. And the untrustworthy ones, ditto, they have a bad reputation to maintain. Having a fixed and known IP would spoil that. The more I hear about "proxies", the less they sound useful! 
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#59
January 30th 17, 12:56 AM
posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.general
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OMG. It's a LOT of work to set up Firefox for privacy on WinXP!
IQN replied:
Wow, Easy Whitelist is gone! POOF! As if it never existed! No information as to what happened to it, not even a hint. No hits on search engines. Nothing! That's always the problem with "actionable" suggestions. They're not always all that actionable!  I suppose Whitelist Ninja will suffice. It's was designed to keep children from wondering off into the unknown. To help others make that one actionable, here's the URL: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/fir...te-list-ninja/ Specifically the xpi file: https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/d...242-latest.xpi
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#60
January 30th 17, 01:30 PM
posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.general
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OMG. It's a LOT of work to set up Firefox for privacy on WinXP!
On Mon, 30 Jan 2017 00:56:02 +0000 (UTC), Ann Dunham
wrote: IQN replied: Wow, Easy Whitelist is gone! POOF! As if it never existed! No information as to what happened to it, not even a hint. No hits on search engines. Nothing! That's always the problem with "actionable" suggestions. They're not always all that actionable! I suppose Whitelist Ninja will suffice. It's was designed to keep children from wondering off into the unknown. To help others make that one actionable, here's the URL: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/fir...te-list-ninja/ Specifically the xpi file: https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/d...242-latest.xpi I block addons.mozilla.org with my hosts file. Privacy. []'s -- Don't be evil - Google 2004 We have a new policy - Google 2012
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