Internet JUNKBUSTER Distribution Information

  Source code and Windows binary currently available

The current version runs on a very wide range of UNIX ® platforms, OS/2, and Windows 95 and NT.

Downloading the zip file (~208k) is slightly faster than the tar file (~286k), but the contents are identical after uncompressing.

  Windows

Version 2.0 onwards also runs on Windows 95, 98 and NT. Download the zip file, which contains documentation, a binary (.exe) and source code. The software seems to work equally well on Windows 98; please tell us if you find any problems specific to Win98.

For technical reasons we do not expect to ever be able to produce a version for Windows 3.1. You could try to get your ISP or company to run it for you. We don't know of any ad filtering software available for 3.1, but if you do, please tell us.

  Notes for users of the current version on Windows

The current version does not come as a ``self extracting auto-installing executable archive.'' This means that it may not be as easy to install as some Windows users expect, but on the other hand, it won't clobber any of your DLL or system configuration files. Nor does it have a slick graphical interface to configure and maintain it. We hope to improve these areas in future releases.

Versions prior to 2.0.1 sometimes caused crashes on Windows 95. We believe Version 2.0.1 has fixed this problem.

If you compile the code rather than using the .exe provided, please tell us any problems you find, especially if you know how to fix it. We've had reports that MSVC version 1.52 has difficulty, MSVC 4 works with only a few warnings in the regex module, and NT/VisualC5 has no problems. We had a report of a problem with the -MT option under Borland C++ 4.52.

  Unix

The code compiles out of the box on a wide variety of UNIX ® systems; a few require changes to the Makefile. Most UNIX ® users download the tar file (although the zip file is smaller).

  RedHat Linux

Several RedHat packages have been set up by Stefan Waldherr; they include some files of his and a choice of code variants. There are packages for i386, Sparc, and Alpha architectures. Also included are instructions for configuring with the caching proxy Squid. A new version is being build on SourceForge.

  Debian

A Debian package is maintained by Paul Haggart for various architectures. It is mirrored on their sites around the world and is distributed on some CD-ROMs. There's a .deb and apt-get install junkbuster may work.

  Free BSD

The FreeBSD distribution includes the proxy in a package collection named ijb-2.0 with source and precompiled binaries. It is available by FTP.

  OS/2

The Makefile contains options for OS/2. A package precompiled for OS/2 using the EMX library is maintained on Hobbes [FTP] [HTTP] by Gerd Flender of the University of Siegen.

  Macintosh

Currently the only way we know of to run the proxy on a Mac is to use a Linux OS on it such as LinuxPPC instead of MacOS.

We don't plan to produce a MacOS version ourselves but hope someone will do a port, publish it, and tell us so that we can pass this information on to the many Mac users who have requested it. (Please guys, we heard you loud and clear. If you want to speed this along, you might like to post a plea to an appropriate Usenet group or other specialist venue. Or consider getting a Mac or Java based proxy. Or ask your ISP to set it up so you don't have to wait.)

  BeOS

A port to BeOS was done by Jens Kilian. [Download zip file] [BeOS site.]

  AOL, WebTV, and other online service providers

As far as we know none of the major online services offers the Internet Junkbuster. We hope that one day they will, even if it's as a premium-priced service in the style of cable TV. But we suspect that the world of Web advertising will have to undergo some revolutionary changes before that day comes.

AOL users can slightly reduce the number of ads pushed on them by going to keyword: MARKETING PREFS and turning off pop-up ads. (While you're there, consider asking them not to sell your name for junk mail too.) [CNET]

As far as we can tell, WebTV's own-brand browser doesn't allow proxies to be set, so it's impossible stop the ads. (Nor does it appear to have a way of rejecting cookies.) If you find otherwise, please tell us.

1. Neil W. Van Dyke published an Emacs add-on that helps maintain a personal configuration.
2. A graphical interface has been added to the Internet Junkbuster by Günter Tschech.

  Current release

Internet Junkbuster 2.0.2 is available in tar or zip format (the files contained in them are identical).

All sites are encouraged to upgrade to the latest version, 2.0.2. To check the version you are running, simply click on http://internet.junkbuster.com/cgi-bin/show-proxy-args or any URL with /show-proxy-args at the end.

  Previous changes

Here is a synopsis of the main changes in previous versions.

1. V2.0.1 to V2.0.2: A bug fix release with no added functionality. The default for listen-address was changed to bind only to localhost, so proxies used from remote machines will need reconfiguration after upgrading (symptom: browsers complain "server not responding"). The major fixes were related to buffer overflows which may have security implications. No incidents have been reported, but all users are encouraged to upgrade. On UNIX ® systems, the proxy should not be run as root. This version is more tolerant of CR/LF oddities in blockfiles which inconvenienced some Windows users by terminating the proxy with an error.
2. V2.0 to V2.0.1: Added support for HEAD requests. A few minor bug fixes, mainly in access controls, and one that we believe has fixed the crashes on Win95. Windows version prints a startup message and reads the file junkbstr.ini if no config file was specified.
3. V1.4 to V2.0: First Windows source code version. Features added include selective forwarding and access controls. The cumbersome command line options were replaced with a configuration file. The internal structure of the code was extensively redesigned.
4. V1.3 to V1.4: Features added were support for SOCKS gateways and selective disclosure of User-Agent and Referer headers. A problem with certain sites using cookies to identify registered users was fixed. A tar file of this version is still available.
5. V1.2 to V1.3: The main feature added was automatic reloading of the blockfile and cookie file. The code was also split into more files to assist readability and future enhancements.
6. V1.1 to V1.2: Advanced per-site cookie management features added.
7. V1.0 to V1.1: The method of displaying the arguments used to invoke the proxy was changed.

Copyright © 1996-2005 Guidescope Inc ®. Copying and distribution permitted under the GNU General Public License. 2005/01/15 http://www.junkbusters.com/ijbdist.html