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The Applications of Cookie
Cookie are an old programming concept, originally used for quick hacks. A programmer who couldn't make two parts of a program communicate with each other, could create a "magic Cookie", a small text file containing material that need to move between the two routine. While not usually the most efficient way to write a program, it had the clear advantages of being reasonably easy to work with and very easy to debug. Most GUI programs use a cookie of sort to keep track of their preferences --- the classic.INI file in Windows is a kind of cookie as are Macintosh preferences files.  They serve the same basic functions, providing continuity between the times the programs and operating systems are run, even if the machine has been turned off for a week, a month or even a year.

Cookies  and Microsoft Internet Explorer.

Cookies contain information about you and your preferences. For example, if you inquire about a flight schedule at an airline's Web site, the site might create a cookie that contains your itinerary. Or it might only contain a record of which pages within the site you visited, to help the site customize the view for you the next time you visit.

Only the information that you provide, or the choices you make while visiting a Web site, can be stored in a cookie. For example, the site cannot determine your e-mail name unless you choose to type it. Allowing a Web site to create a cookie does not give that or any other site access to the rest of your computer, and only the site that created the cookie can read it.

Internet Explorer is set up to allow the creation of cookies; however, you can specify that you be prompted before a site puts a cookie on your hard disk, so you can choose to allow or disallow the cookie; or you can prevent Internet Explorer from accepting any cookies.

You can specify different settings for different security zones. For example, you might want to allow Web sites to create cookies if they are in your Trusted sites or Local intranet zone, prompt you before creating cookies if they are in your Internet zone, and never allow cookies if they are in your Restricted sites zone.

To set a security level for each zone

  1. On the Tools menu in Internet Explorer, click Internet Options.
  2. Click the Security tab.
  3. Click the zone that you want to set the security level for.
  4. Move the slider up for a higher level of security or down for a lower level of security.

Tip

  • To specify custom security settings for the selected zone, click the Customize Level button. To set the options for a particular security level back to their original settings, click the Default Level button.

What you need to know about security zones

Internet Explorer divides your Internet world into zones, so that you can assign a Web site to a zone with a suitable security level.

You can tell which zone the current Web page is in by looking at the right side of the Internet Explorer status bar. Whenever you attempt to open or download content from the Web, Internet Explorer checks the security settings for that Web site's zone.

There are four different zones:

  • Internet zone: By default, this zone contains anything that is not on your computer or an intranet, or assigned to any other zone. The default security level for the Internet zone is Medium.
  • Local intranet zone: This zone typically contains any addresses that don't require a proxy server, as defined by the system administrator. These include sites specified on the Connections tab, network paths (such as \\server\share), and local intranet sites (typically addresses that don't contain periods, such as http://internal). You can also add sites to this zone. The default security level for the Local intranet zone is Medium.
  • Trusted sites zone: This zone contains sites you trust - sites that you believe you can download or run files from without worrying about damage to your computer or data. You can assign sites to this zone. The default security level for the Trusted sites zone is Low.
  • Restricted sites zone: This zone contains sites you don't trust - that is, sites that you're not sure whether you can download or run files from without damage to your computer or data. You can assign sites to this zone. The default security level for the Restricted sites zone is High.

In addition, any files already on your local computer are assumed to be very safe, so minimal security settings are assigned to them. You cannot assign a folder or drive on your computer to a security zone.

If you want, you can change the security level for a zone; for example, you might want to change the security setting for your Local intranet zone to Low. Or, you can customize the settings within a zone from the default settings in Low, Medium Low, Medium, and High.

Cookies and Netscape

A "cookie" is a small amount of information that a web site copies to your hard disk. A cookie can help a web site identify you the next time you visit. For instance, if you shop for books online, the bookstore's web site might use a cookie to store information about your favorite subjects, and later use that information to recommend particular  books.

To control your computer's behavior with respect to cookies:

  • From the Edit menu, choose Preferences.
  • Click the Advanced category.
  • Click one of the radio buttons.

Important: In most cases, "Accept all cookies" is the best choice. The second button means that your computer will not send a cookie to a server that did not originate it.

  • If you want to be notified when

Communicator accepts a cookie, check "Warn me before accepting a cookie."  

Changing Cache Settings

Your computer stores copies of frequently accessed pages in the memory cache or   disk cache. This way, the computer doesn't have to retrieve the page from the network each time you view it.

To set the size of the memory cache or to clear it (Windows and Unix only):

  • From the Edit menu, choose Preferences.
  • Open the Advanced category; then click

Cache.

  • Enter a number in the Memory Cache

field to specify the size of the memory cache. 1024K to 2000K is a good size.   4.To clear the Memory Cache immediately, click Clear Memory Cache.

Important: A larger memory cache allows more data to be quickly retrieved. But unless you have a lot of extra memory on your computer, 1024K is large enough.

To set the size of the disk cache or to clear it:

  • From the Edit menu, choose Preferences.
  • Open the Advanced category; then click

Cache.

  • Enter a number in the Disk Cache field to

specify the size of the disk cache. 7680K (5000K on Unix) is a good size.

  • (Optional) To specify where the disk cache should be stored, click Choose Folder, find the folder you want, and double-click to select it.
  • To clear the Disk Cache immediately, click Clear Disk Cache.

Important: A larger disk cache allows more pages to be quickly retrieved, but more of your hard disk space is used. When you quit Communicator, it performs cache maintenance. If maintenance takes longer than you wish, try reducing the size of the disk cache.

To specify how often Navigator checks the network for page revisions (so that you don't keep "stale" pages in the cache too long):

  • .From the Edit menu, choose Preferences.
  • .Click the Advanced category; then click

Cache.

  • .Select Once Per Session, Every Time, or

Never. "Every Time" assures that the page you see is always the latest, at the cost of slower performance. "Never" is fastest, but the page you see might be stale.

To refresh a page at any time:

  • Click Reload. The computer checks the network to make sure you have the latest version of the page. To retrieve a fresh copy of a page regardless of what's in the cache, hold down the Shift key (Option key on Mac OS) and click Reload.

If pages that should be in the cache are taking longer to appear than they should, make sure the preference is not set to Every Time, because the verification requires a network connection that takes time.

Getting the Latest Software Automatically SmartUpdate allows software to be automatically and securely installed on your machine in one step.

To turn SmartUpdate on or off:

  • Open the Edit menu and choose Preferences.
  • Open the Advanced group and click SmartUpdate.
  • Select Enable SmartUpdate to turn it on.

Select "Require manual confirmation of each install" if you want to be notified each time SmartUpdate tries to install a program or file on your computer.

To uninstall a SmartUpdate item, select one of the SmartUpdates on the left side and click the Uninstall button.

 Setting Proxy Values Many organizations block access from the Internet to their networks. This prevents outside parties from gaining access to sensitive information. The protection is called a firewall. If your organization has a firewall, Communicator may need to go through a proxy server before connecting you to the Internet. The proxy server prevents outsiders from breaking into your organization's private network.

Before you start:

If there's a proxy configuration file at your workplace, ask the system administrator for its URL.  If there's no proxy configuration file, ask your system administrator for the names and port numbers of the servers running proxy software for each network service.  To set Communicator to work with the proxy:

  • From the Edit menu, choose Preferences.
  • Click the Advanced category and choose Proxies.
  • Select one of the following:

"Direct Connection to the Internet" if you don't have to go through a proxy. "Automatic proxy configuration" if you have a proxy configuration file. Type the file's URL in the field and click Reload.  "Manual proxy configuration" if you don't have a proxy configuration file. Click View (Configure on Mac OS), and type your settings and any exceptions (see Details below).  Details: Your computer may connect to several different servers (computers that handle networking matters). Each server handles a specific type of network service, such as communicating with HTTP sites or dealing with security. For each server, your manual configuration must specify which server runs the proxy software. Under "Address of proxy server to use," type the name or numeric IP address of the proxy server for each type of server (HTTP, Security, FTP, Socks, Gopher, and WAIS). Often a single proxy server handles the three major types of server: HTTP, FTP, and Gopher. Under "Port" type each proxy server's port number. Under Exceptions, type the names of any domains that you can connect to directly, bypassing the proxy. For example, if you type "netscape.com," then the proxy is bypassed each time you view a web page from netscape.com. Domain names are the part of a URL that contains the name of an organization, business, or school--such as netscape.com or washington.org. If you use local host names without the domain name, list them the same way. Use commas to separate multiple ostnames. The wildcard character [*] cannot be used.  

 Connecting from Anywhere    

  • Setting Up Roaming Access
  • Roaming Access lets you connect to

Communicator--with the same preferences, bookmarks, cookies, and other items that you normally use--when you are away from your desk, using a shared computer, or working from home. If your network administrator has not set up Roaming Access, this panel does not appear.

To set up Roaming Access:

  • Open the Edit menu and choose Preferences.
  • Click Roaming Access.

Select "Enable Roaming Access for this profile." Type your user name.   Select "Remember my roaming password" to avoid typing your password each time you "roam."  To access your email from anywhere, you must be using IMAP to retrieve your mail. For more information on IMAP, see Using the Mail Server Property Panel - General.  Specifying Where Your Roaming Profile Is Located Communicator needs to know which server your roaming profile is on. Your network administrator usually provides this information. Your roaming profile contains your preferences, bookmarks, cookies, and other items you use in Communicator.

  • Open the Edit menu and choose Preferences.
  • Open the Roaming Access category and click Server Information.

If your roaming access profile is on an LDAP Directory Server, specify the server's location under Address.  If your roaming access profile is on an HTTP server, specify the profile's location under Base URL.  Specifying Files to Be Transferred at Startup and Shutdown You can choose which files should be updated when you start and exit Communicator. You can update your bookmarks, cookies, mail filters, address books, preferences, history, Java security, and certificates. If you have a slow connection, larger files (such as certificates and history) take longer to transfer. The most useful files to transfer are preferences, bookmarks, cookies and your Address Book.

  • Open the Edit menu and choose Preferences.
  • Open the Roaming Access group and click File Selection.
  • Choose the files you want transferred at startup and shutdown.

Setting General Mail Server Properties

To set general mail server properties:

  • .From the Edit menu, choose Preferences. Open the Mail & Newsgroup category, and then select Mail Servers.
  • Click Add to display the Mail Server Properties dialog box.
  • At Server Name, type the name of the mail server.
  • At Server Type, click the drop-down list and select either IMAP or POP3.

Note: You can have multiple IMAP servers or one POP3 server, but not both.

  • At User Name, type the name that identifies you to this server (usually one word).
  • "Check Remember password" if you don't want to re-enter your password each time you start Messenger. You will be prompted for your password initially.
  • Select the box at "Check for new mail every ___" and then specify the number of minutes between mail checks. If you do not select this box, new mail will not appear until you click Get Msg or the Inbox icon on the component bar.
  • Click OK.

Setting POP3 Mail Server Properties  To set POP3 mail server properties:

  • Open the Mail Server Properties Panel and click the POP tab.
  • Check "Leave messages on server after retrieval" if you want to leave messages both on the mail server and your computer.
  • Check "When deleting messages locally..." if you want to leave messages on the server.
  • Click OK.

Setting IMAP Mail Server Properties

To set properties for an IMAP server:

  • Open the Mail Server Properties Panel and click the IMAP tab.
  • Check "Mark new folders for offline download" if you want each new folder you create to be automatically selected for downloading.
  • Check "Use secure connection (SSL)" if your IMAP server is configured to send and receive encrypted mail. If you are unsure, contact the mail server administrator at your site. 
  • Choose a method for deleting messages:

Move deleted messages to the Trash folder. (Recommended) Tag deleted messages and remove them only when you compact a folder.   Remove deleted messages immediately.

  • Check "Cleanup (Expunge) Inbox on exit" to remove deleted messages from the Inbox when you exit Communicator. Select this if you choose to tag messages.
  • Check "Empty Trash on exit" to empty the Trash folder whenever you exit Communicator.
  • Click OK.

Setting Advanced IMAP Server Properties

To specify advanced properties for an IMAP server:

  • Open the Mail Server Properties Panel and click the Advanced tab. 
  • Enter the path of your personal directory.
  • Specify whether you want to view all folders on this directories, or only folders you subscribe to.
  • Specify whether the server supports folders that contain both subfolders and messages.
  • Enter the personal and public (shared folder) namespaces for this directory.
  • Leave the checkbox at "Allow server to override these namespaces" checked if your server supports the NAMESPACE extension.
  • Click OK.

Note: In most cases, advanced IMAP server properties are supplied by the server automatically. If you are unclear about the settings for this dialog box, consult your system administrator before proceeding.

Identifying Your Newsgroup Servers

To set up your newsgroup servers:

  • From the Edit menu, choose Preferences. Then select Newsgroup Servers from the Mail & Newsgroups Preferences category.
  • To add a server, click Add. To modify the information for a server: click Edit.  To remove a server: click Delete.
  • Click Set as Default to specify a server as the default.
  • At Newsgroup folder, enter the path name of a local directory where your newsgroup server can download messages.
  1. PC Example: C:\Program Files\Netscape\Communicator\News
  2. Unix Example: /usr/people/mozilla/.news

Note: On Mac OS, you do not need to provide the name of a news directory.

  • Specify whether to limit the number of messages copied to your local machine when you open a newsgroup.
  • Click OK.

Note: You can have multiple news servers.

Setting Addressing Preferences

To set preferences for addressing messages:

  • From the Edit menu, choose Preferences. Then select Addressing from the Mail & Newsgroup Preferences category.
  • In the dialog box, specify the following information:  Pinpoint Addressing: Specify whether you want Messenger to "autocomplete" addresses using names from your address books and/or directory server.
  • When multiple addresses are found: Choose whether to display a list of choices, or simply to accept the address you have typed.
  • If there is only one match in your address books: Choose whether to use that entry and not search a directory.
  • When displaying full names: Choose how to display names in the address book window.
  • Click OK.

To add another directory to the list of available directories, use the Directory Server Property dialog box. Setting Preferences for Outgoing Messages

To set outgoing message options:

  • From the Edit menu, choose Preferences.Then select Messages from the Mail & Newsgroup Preferences category.
  • Specify how you want messages forwarded: inline, quoted, or as an attachment.
  • If you want to quote text automatically, specify where to place it (Windows and Mac OS only).
  • Specify word-wrapping for incoming and outgoing messages.
  • Choose whether to automatically check spelling (Windows and Mac OS only).
  • Choose whether to send 8-bit character or quoted and printable MIME-compliant messages.
  • Click OK.

Storing Messages and Sending Automatic Copies
To specify where to store messages and whether to send copies automatically:

  • From the Edit menu, choose Preferences. Then select Copies and Folders from the Mail & Newsgroup Preferences category.
  • You see the Copies and Folders Preferences dialog box.
  • Select where to store copies of your outgoing mail and newsgroup messages. If you don't want to use the default Sent folder, click Choose Folder to specify the folder location.
  • Select whether you want to send a blind carbon copy (bcc) to yourself or another addressee, and enter the address.
  • If you don't want to use the default Draft and Template folders for draft and template messages, click Choose Folder to specify the folder location.
  • Click OK.

Setting Message Formatting Preferences 

You can choose between a plain-text or HTML composition window for creating mail messages, and you can specify whether recipients prefer to receive plain-text or HTML formatted messages.

  • From the Edit menu, choose Preferences. Then select Formatting from the Mail & Newsgroup Preferences category.
  • Choose whether you want to use HTML editor or the plain-text editor to compose your messages.
  • When you add a person or address card to your address book, you can specify whether that addressee should always receive messages in HTML formatting. If this information is unknown, choose one of options to specify how messages should be delivered. You can always override these settings through the Options panel of the Composition window.
  • Click OK.

Confirming That Your Message Was Received

Messenger supports two types of return receipts: delivery receipts and read receipts.

  • Delivery receipts notify you that your message has arrived in the recipient's inbox on the mail server. The recipient's server must support the Delivery Service Notification (DSN) standard.
  • Read receipts notify you that the recipient as opened your message. The recipient must have a mail program that uses the Message Disposition Notification (MDN) standard.
  • To request return receipts for messages, you must first set preferences indicating the type of receipt you want. At the time you write the message, you must indicate that you want a receipt.

To set preferences for receipts:

  • From the Edit menu, choose Preferences. Then select Return Receipts from the Mail & Newsgroup Preferences category. 
  • Specify the type of receipt you want: Delivery receipt (DSN), Read receipt (MDN), or both.
  • Specify whether to store receipt copies in your Inbox or Sent mail folder.
  • Specify how you want Messenger to handle requests for MDN receipts sent to you: never or only from certain addressees. Click Customize to set options for handling those messages.
  • Click OK.

To activate the receipt notification for a message:

  • In the composition window, click Options.
  • Check the Return Receipt checkbox.

Choosing Window Settings in Messenger  (Windows and Mac OS only) To specify how windows are used for messages, folders, and newsgroups:

  • From the Edit menu, choose Preferences. Then select Window Settings from the Mail & Newsgroup Preferences category.
  • Choose the type of three-pane layout to use for the Messenger window (the window you see when you choose Messenger from the Communicator menu).
  • Choose whether to display messages, folders, and newsgroups in a new window or use the existing window when you click on them.
  • Choose whether the Messenger or Message Center window opens when you choose Newsgroups from the Communicator menu or click its icon.
  • Click OK.

Managing Your Disk Space Preferences

Downloading email can consume disk space. You can limit the disk space taken up by email.

  • Choose Preferences from the Edit menu, open the Mail & Newsgroups category, and then select Disk Space.
  • To avoid downloading very large messages, click "Do not download any message larger than" and type the maximum size.
  • To keep message folders compact, click "Automatically compact folders when it will save over" and specify the amount of disk space. When it is possible to save this amount of disk space, message folders will be automatically compacted.
  • Click OK.

To specify how long discussion messages are kept:

  • Click one of three buttons under "When it's time to clean up messages" to specify when newsgroup messages should be deleted.
  • Unless you chose "Keep all messages," type the number of days to keep messages or the number of newest messages to keep.
  • To delete read messages immediately, click "Keep only unread messages." 
  • (Windows only) To save disk space by retaining only message subject lines, click "Remove message bodies only older than," and type the number of days to keep message bodies.
  • Click OK.

You can also save disk space by making the disk cache smaller.
Upgrading IMAP from Communicator 4.0 to 4.5

The Subscribing to Folders dialog box appears because you are a previous Communicator 4.0 IMAP mail user who's upgrading to Communicator 4.5. Communicator 4.5 now lets users subscribe to their IMAP folders. You can choose to have Communicator subscribe to all your folders automatically, or you can choose the folders yourself.

If you subscribe to the folders yourself, you will see the Subscribe to Newsgroups/IMAP Folders dialog box, with a list of all your current folders.

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This information was taken from the book Cookies by Simon St. Laurent, MS Internet Explorer and Netscape help menu