Cookies

[Andrew MacLean]

Now then here's the story. I was having a little nose through the inner workings of my computer and I found a file called "Magic Cookies".

I looked further and discovered that these are offered to my computer by somebody. I have to set my computer to one of three alternatives:

Accept cookies only from sites I navigate.
Always accept cookies
Never accept cookies

At the moment it seems to be set, presumably to the default position of "accept only from sites I navigate".

Now that is the story, here is the question. What is a cookie and why do I need one?

[GarethB]

Here's my understanding and John will probably have a good laugh!

When you first visit the KC site and log on you have the option to tick a box so that the computer remembers you each time so on your next visit to the forum you are already logged on.

Ticking the box downloads the cookie and it is this that the computer/web site uses to know to log you in automatically.

Does this makes sense?

[jayuk]

Cookies are small text files which are placed on your PC when you browse sites. It can contain all kinds of information such as Userids, and personal info (assuming you have entered it onto there site in the first place).

There are a number of sites now which require them tp place these cookies for you to browse the sites!....btu if you have a decent personal firewall or security suite software it "should" take care of removing them, or safely placing them and ensuring they cant be the cause of malicous intentions!

[Anne B]

Andrew,
A cookie is a biscuit with chocolate chips.
Why do you need one? To dip in your coffee or to keep the kids quiet

Hope that helps

Anne

[John Smith]

I like Anne's suggestion the best... but my answer would be midway between Gareth's and Jay's:

A "cookie" (known in Unix circles as a "magic-cookie"... and Mac OS X is Unix really) is indeed a small text file.

Because it's just text, it's perfectly harmless. Sites that you visit which you have customised at all will often send you one. The reason? So that when you return to the site your computer will offer the magic-cookie, and the site will know that it's you, and customise it accordingly. That's indeed how the "remember me" links work on this forum, or the "Do you want to see UK news or International news" on the BBC News site work.

So they're perfectly benign and harmless. Only the truly paranoid would be concerned, wouldn't they?

The problem (fraid there is one) is that the advertising services will send you a cookie when you first see one of "their" adverts (even on someone else's pages), and they can therefore track your browsing from site to site. They don't know WHO you are, but they might be able to work out that the person who uses this computer likes cars, races cars, buys cars, uses eBay and has keratoconus. They can then target adverts directly to you.

That's why you have the excellent option "Accept cookies only from sites I navigate." - you'll get the useful cookies, but not the advertising ones.

I'd always advise stopping cookies at the firewall - too many sites would stop working the way they were designed then.

[Andrew MacLean]

I like chocolate chip cookies too, and think I understand why I need computer magic cookies: it is so that the KC site and the others I visit know that it is my computer.

What would happen if I decided not to accept any cookies at all?

[brigid downing]

Andrew

You would loose weight and fade away to nothing.

It is better (and more polite) to accept some from people you trust - but know your limits and when to stop.

Brigid

[Vic]

And I thought this topic was going to be entirely about biscuits... Chocolate chip cookies are far superior to the computer kind!

[Andrew MacLean]

Okay, lets say I accept chocolate cookies offered by friends, but set my computer set to refuse magic cookies offered by sites. Would this have any practical effect on my day to day experience of the www?

Andrew

[John Smith]

That depends on the sites you visit. For example, you will be asked to sign in every time before you post on this site, or you'll be asked whether you want UK or International flavour to the BBC news... and many other slight inconveniences. You'll also find out that you can't remember your password for all the sites that used to let you in!

Some sites won't work at all, but they are badly written; still, that shouldn't be your problem!