What Is: Cookies?

QUOTE (xavierduan @ Sep 8 2004, 02:36 PM) nearly all program with members management use cookies, it is a good way to check online users, and now cookies is widely use by developers. many years ago when I use perl and php, I prefer use cookies, but now, I use jsp and asp.net, it have session, so session used more than cookies. use cookie have a problem, if someone forbid using cookies, you can not get user infomation.

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If you don't like every site setting cookies to your computer, like I don't , check your browsers cookie settings.

For example in Mozilla Firefox you can select that browser asks everytime when a site want to set a cookie. If you feel the cookie is OK then just select "Use my choice for all cookies from this site" and hit accept. If the cookie is from domain like ads.something.com, then I usually select "use my choice..." and hit deny. No more cookies from that advertiser.
This, of course, slows the browsing a bit as you have to go through this everytime you go to a new site which is about to set a cookie, but personally I feel it is worth it.

In addition to Mozilla, Opera and Netscape have similar features and also some firewalls have abilities to block cookies from certain domains.

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The only place i use cookies on my website is using the statcounter & the users online script. i don't think they're too intrusive but sites shouldn't rely on them.

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I usually use cookies to keep like login information intact so I don't have to keep logging into a website whenever I go there. However, if you feel that cookies are invading your privacy, Ad-Aware 6.0 addresses that problem. It targets invididual files that it thinks is spyware (i.e. cookies, files, registry values) Good program to look into.

http://www.lavasoftusa.com/

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Is it bad to erase the cookies every now and then? Or should I not clear them? Are spyware and adware cookies too? Do they have Spybot and ad-aware for the Macs? I cant find them for mac... do macs get Them?

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Yes macs do get them, and they (cookies, not macs lol) can be a bad privacy invasion tool. It wouldn't hurt to clear out the cookie cache once every so often, but be warned: for sites where you have it set to so that you will automatically log in, you will need to reenter your password and handle and also have it checked for the automatic log in again.

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Just upgraded to Ad-Aware SE Personal. Pretty good and better than Personal 6.0

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I don't know why people dislike them so much, I mean think about it they can only store info you give them (or they get from your browser).

Remember PARANOIA KILLS.

I beleive people who beleive that "cookies are bad" are just listening to the "your computer may be tracking your every move" banner. I don't know why the banners don't say your cookies are filling up your harddrive better buy our software before you run out of room.

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Well, cookies are considered bad if it's a tracking one, especially if you give importance about your privacy(or if you have violated something and you are being traced). Otherwise, it's just another one of those harmless little tools of technology.

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Well, in my general opinion, cookies can be used good or bad. The good part is that they store information such as logon usernames and passwords at certain sites so that you don't have to relog back into the site. The downside is that cookies can be used for specific ad targeting and popups and can track your data if you fill out a form. So either way, cookies can be used good or bad.

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