Can a Firefox user explain Proxy Servers please?

[Massacure]

Pretty please?

[GAspnes]

1. here you go

http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:vnpZmD96etIJ:www.publicproxyservers.com/+proxy+server&hl=en&ie=UTF-8

A proxy server is a kind of buffer between your computer and the Internet resources you are accessing. They accumulate and save files that are most often requested by thousands of Internet users in a special database, called "cache". Therefore, proxy servers are able to increase the speed of your connection to the Internet. The cache of a proxy server may already contain information you need by the time of your request, making it possible for the proxy to deliver it immediately. The overall increase in performance may be very high. Also, proxy servers can help in cases when some owners of the Internet resources impose some restrictions on users from certain countries or geographical regions. In addition to that, among proxy servers there are so called anonymous proxy servers that hide your IP address thereby saving you from vulnerabilities concerned with it...

[Massacure]

2. So how do i set these up on Firefox?

[GAspnes]

3. you don't have to

the proxy server FireFox refers to is your local network proxy. Unless you're using it behind a company firewall, just ignore the option.

[Princess Turandot]

4. In addition to what was already said..

you can also install proxy software on your computer, which is different than going first to a proxy server page online and using it to surf.

You can set the software on your PC to prevent different functions from working/downloading in your browser, such as active-x, ads, java applets etc. They are things which generally slow you down and sometimes contain spyware.It also prevents certain info from being sent by your computer, but not your IP usually. You need an external proxy for that, I think, which was described in the other response.

If you have proxy software on your computer, the browser uses a specific port to access the internet, which the proxy software controls. I use proxy software called Proxomitron, which is freeware that has been around for awhile.

The Foxfire 'proxy' extension turns proxy software installed on your PC on and off. You need to do that sometimes because some pages won't download with it running.I don't know how it interracts with an external proxy server because I don't use one.

[orthogonal]

6. Turning off Proxomitron for a siingle web page

You can also use the "Bypass" function in Proxomitron to turn Proxomitron off for a page (and for all links from that resulting page).

I made the "Bypass" link into a bookmark, so I just use that bookmark to bypass -- this works with anything except java applets (it works with javaSCRIPT, not java applets).

You can also (and this does work with java applets) bypass Proxomitron by right-clicking on it in the system tray, and selecting "bypass".

To use the url, open Proxomitron (double-click on system tray icon)
Then select "Config" and then "Access".
Then UN-check "Disable URL based Proxomitron commands", and enter prefix in the "Prefix all URL commands with:" box.

In this example, we will use "PROX-" as our prefix.

Press "Ok" and then Select File|Save Config File to save your changes to Proxomitron.

Then, in your browser, create a new bookmark and put it somewhere convenient, like the Bookmark Toolbar.

Open the bookmark and then change the URL to:


java script:document.location=%22http://PROX-bypass..%22+document.location.href.substring(7);


Except remove the space between "java" and "script"; I had to put this in to get around the DU filter.

This creates a small javascript "url" that sets the document location to be the current location with the url command in front of it.

Proxomitron when it sees the URL command, will bypass (not filter) that page.

For security, use a URL command prefix other than the one used in this example.

[Princess Turandot]

7. I know how to bypass it via 'itself' but..

since I also run MyIE2 (now called Maxthon) which is an IE based shell program and bypassing the proxy requires you to reset IE Options, and restart the browser, as far as my limited knowledge goes. I use FireFox or Opera if I have a problem with a site for whatever reason, since you can disable the proxy in the program w/o restarting it. I use 2 monitors with my computer so it isn't a big deal to have MyIE2 on one and Opera on the other.

[orthogonal]

8. Easier!

Just right click on the Proxomitron icon in the system tray, and select Bypass from the menu there. The Icon will appear a darker green while it's being bypassed. no need to change options within IE, or restart anything.

[Princess Turandot]

9. I'm glad I posted to the thread..

I'm not sure if it was a prior version of MyIE2, or Prox settings (I also recently uploaded some config files from Computer Cops from a guy who's been keeping the program up since its developer died) but I swear that in the past, bypassing Prox via the tray icon did not cause MyIE2 to change its settings, although I haven't tried that option in months. Thanks!

[orthogonal]

5. Two faces

All traffic goes through the proxy.

So think of the proxy as having two "faces": to Firefox, the proxy "looks like" the whole internet; to the internet, the proxy "looks like" the Firefox browser.

Firefox<---->Proxy<---->Internet

The proxy can be used to get to the Internet, or to filter it, by blocking access to certain addresses, or by changing the data being sent in either direction.

The only reasons you'd use on is a) because you're begin a firewall and cannot connect directly, or b) you're using an "Internet speed-up" caching service, or c) you want to use a proxy that filters the internet for you.

A good example of the latter is using Proxomitron, as I do, to filter out ads and other "bad stuff" like exploits that lead to viruses.

In practice, using Proxomitron, I see next to no ads on the internet, so my browsing experience is much calmer and more inviting than most peoples'. (and text boxes like the one I'm typing into are re-sized to my preferences, and forwarding links like DU uses are made direct links, and so forth.)