XPost: alt.comp.os.windows-10, alt.comp.microsoft.windows   
   From: Newyana2@invalid.nospam   
      
   "Oliver"  wrote   
      
   | The OP's point is you never need the proprietary ProtonMail GUI.   
   | You only need the configuration files & the login/password (if used).   
   |   
   | > There'd be nothing to need a script for.   
   |   
   | The OP isn't using the GUI. He's just clicking on his batch script.   
   |   
   | The advantage is that he can mix and match any number of servers as these   
   | config files can be a mix and match of a dozen different VPN services.   
   |   
   | All he needs from the various VPN services are the text config files.   
   | With his methods, you can connect to thousands of free VPNs at any time.   
      
     Thanks for the explanation. This is mostly new to me. Sorry   
   to be thick, but I'm still confused about how it all works. If I'm   
   understanding correctly, openVPN is the software commonly used   
   for the actual data transfer between servers, as well as between   
   client and server.   
      
      VPN is a masking service offered by mostly commercial   
   servers that offer to let you connect to them as a pass-through   
   in order to prevent tracking of your location and to encrypt your   
   web activities. Most such servers charge for the service.   
   Freeopenvpn seems to be some kind of non-profit running on   
   donations, providing free VPN service.   
      
     Thus, the scripts are about avoiding software rather than using   
   a different kind of VPN setup. I don't see any advantage there,   
   but to each their own.   
      
     Is all that about right? Yet freeopenvpn is not listed on any   
   sites that run articles such as "The Top VPN services of 2024".   
   I feel like I'm missing a piece of the puzzle here.   
      
     I tried downloading a config file from freeopenvpn. I see a long   
   base-64 key. So the deal is that one must install the openVPN client,   
   then that uses the downloaded .ovpn keys? So you're using   
   freeopenvpn as a service and skipping the GUI? But I assume   
   the script doesn't obviate the need to use some kind of   
   server -- free or paid. It's just bypassing a GUI?   
      
   Then, what are all the various server options in different countries?   
   Are those all non-profits, like the way that universities often   
   host Linux packages?   
      
     In other words, if I set up free Proton it shows me a list of   
   server options in different countries. In freeopenvpn presumably   
   you pick one such server, download the key, then feed that to   
   the openVPN software, and away you go. I'm curious about the   
   financial aspect. And how the client service relates to the various   
   server choices.   
      
     With email, for example, you either pay money for the server   
   access or you pay in spyware (as with gmail, yahoo, etc). I'm   
   curious how this works with VPN. Your link says to watch out for   
   free VPN because it's sleazy spyware. But then they recommend   
   some free VPNs. So, something like freeopenvpn -- is that a   
   politically motivated, non-profit, legit free VPN server?  Or is it   
   reasonable to assume they're selling data to pay the bills? Their   
   website is very limited in terms of information.   
      
     And what exactly does the VPN service provide? The first jump   
   into the network of VPN servers? That seems to imply that unlike   
   email, VPN communication itself is mainly provided by non-profits.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)