XPost: alt.comp.os.windows-10, alt.privacy   
   From: marionf@fact.com   
      
   Marion wrote:   
   > If something takes three clicks, we should drop it by a third to two and if   
   > it takes two clicks we should drop it in half to one click. I'm still   
   > debugging as I have to make sure I don't already have an iconified Aloha   
   > session already running 'cuz it can write to its cache of the Preferences.   
      
   UPDATE.   
      
   The Aloha VPN browser is now opening well with autohotkey hitting a couple   
   of buttons so that cookies are cleared & the VPN is turned on in 1 click.   
      
   I invested a bit of time in free SOCKS5 proxies but I don't recommend them   
   for Chromium browsers. Proxies work great in Mozilla browsers though.   
      
   The advantage of the free SOCKS5 proxies over free VPN servers is speed.   
      
   There is a huge disadvantage in complexity though - only for Chromium   
   browsers since Mozilla browsers are designed well to use proxy settings.   
      
   A SOCKS proxy routes all types of traffic, whether that's web, email, file   
   transfers, etc., through a remote server without inspecting or modifying   
   the data, making it protocol-agnostic and ideal for broad application   
   support.   
      
   Unlike VPNs (which encrypt all traffic) or HTTP proxies (which only handle   
   web traffic), SOCKS proxies give you quick anonymity without VPN overhead.   
      
   However, I've learned the hard way that Chromium browsers are a bitch when   
   it comes to proxies, and they're paired with Windows which is their bitch.   
      
   Windows has THREE (yes, 3!) proxy mechanisms, and you can't be sure at any   
   given time what mechanism any given application is gonna want to be using.   
      
   Why do 3 different proxy mechanisms exist?   
   Hell if I know.   
      
   Windows evolved over decades, and different components use different   
   networking stacks, each with its own proxy logic I guess.   
      
   1. WinINET (Windows Internet API)   
      Used by: Internet Explorer, legacy Edge, MS Office, "and more".   
      Proxy set via: Internet Options > Connections > LAN Settings.   
      Behavior: Reads settings from the registry and supports automatic   
      configuration via PAC files and WPAD.   
      Psiphon sets up a proxy here so apps using WinINET use it.   
      
   2. WinHTTP (Windows HTTP Services)   
      Used by: System services like Windows Update, Background Intelligent   
      Transfer Service (BITS), and some enterprise apps.   
      Proxy set via: netsh winhttp set proxy or via Group Policy.   
      Behavior: Doesn't automatically inherit WinINET settings   
      unless explicitly copied over.   
      If WinHTTP isn't configured, system services bypass Psiphon's tunnel.   
      
   3. PAC/AutoDetect (Proxy Auto-Config)   
      Used by: Modern browsers like Chrome, Firefox, & Chromium-based Edge.   
      Proxy set via: Browser-specific settings or via system-wide auto-detect.   
      Behavior: Uses JavaScript-based PAC files or WPAD to dynamically   
      choose proxy per URL.   
      Browsers may ignore WinINET/WinHTTP and rely solely on PAC,   
      so Psiphon must ensure PAC settings are correctly applied.   
      
   If any layer is missed, traffic could leak outside the tunnel - defeating   
   the purpose of Psiphon's censorship circumvention or privacy protection.   
      
   Sigh. And I thought I knew how Windows works after all these years...   
   --   
   Sharing knowledge - because helping is its own reward.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)