--- In [email protected], "dbneeley" <dbnee...@...> wrote: > > Here at home in Ukraine, I have a very fast connection but the DNS lookup > service is horrible. Some sites can take so long to try to resolve that they > time out and must be reloaded again. > > However, until today I had ignored updating my "hosts" file. Now that I have, > I wonder what kept me so long...and boy, is my face red! > > As you may know, every operating system that allows Internet access has a > local file that lists IP numbers and the corresponding URL. The standard one > in Linux distros may only have the 127.0.0.1 address listed as "localhost." > The standard one in Ubuntu-derived distros is a little longer, but not all > that much. > > However, it is simple to add the sites you often access. You can also add > various advertising sites, for example, that you want not to be bothered > with--which also greatly speeds up page loading since most ads will no longer > be loaded. > > Fortunately, there are several sites that have pre-built lists of most of the > ad sites as well as many known sites that host malware, which are simply > listed in the hosts file with the localhost address. > > Here's what you do: > > I got the large file of hosts I didn't want to see from > http://someonewhocares.org/hosts/ > > Next, I opened a terminal and found the IP addresses for the sites I visit > regularly, using the "host" command. For example: > > > host google.com > > It returns the IP addresses. I did the same thing with the other sites I use > every day and made a list of them. > > Next, locate the "hosts" file on your machine. The most common setup is > /etc/hosts (as it is in Ubuntu, for example). > > That file has to be edited as root--so since I use KDE, I opened a terminal > and entered "kdesudo kate" and then opened the file in the Kate editor. You > could also use gedit or any other text editor, so long as you open the file > as root. > > I first saved the original with a different name--in my case I called it > hosts_original. > > Then, moving back to the original file, I entered the frequent sites list, > using the same format: IP address followed by any number of spaces or tabs, > the URL, then more spaces or tabs and a nickname if I wished. That way, you > can use a shorthand name for the site in your address bar if you wish. > > Note that large sites like Google will have more than one IP address; put > each of them on its own line and repeat the URL listing. > > Note that you cannot use wild cards in the HOSTS file, so each IP address > must be on a separate line. > > Finally, I copied the file from the someonewhocares.org site at the bottom of > the HOSTS file and saved it all as simply "hosts" in the original location. > > Then, either stop and restart your networking services or simply reboot. > > Suddenly, things will load much faster and you will no longer be bothered > with most of the online advertising or the tracking sites that compromise > your privacy. > > The entire operation took perhaps fifteen minutes at most, and the difference > for me is much like night and day. > > I hope you find this helpful if you have never done it. > > Best to all, > > David >
Another way to do this that is safer for any IP address that might change is to set up a caching DNS server then point all of your computers to it first then secondarily to your current DNS. I changed the DNS settings in my router to point to my caching server first. Loyal ------------------------------------ To unsubscribe from this list, please email [email protected] & you will be removed.Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LINUX_Newbies/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LINUX_Newbies/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: [email protected] [email protected] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [email protected] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
