What is a cookie? |
Why do servers use cookies? |
Compare that with real life! |
Common cookie example |
Why does Zora's download page use cookies? |
What happens if I disable cookies? |
What is a cookie? |
Cookies in terms of computer usage are small, named information pieces, which an internet server may store and recall at the client computer. The data can't be stored or recalled "anywhere" on the client's computer, but is completely managed by the client's browser (IE, Netscape, Mozilla, etc.). Simplistic spoken a cookie has a name and a value. Often, the browser uses a folder for the cookies and every cookie is a line of a text document stored in that folder. |
Why do servers use cookies? |
If a server wants to remember a client or any detail of the client (e.g. so next time the server can send that page to the client, which the client visited the last time), the server uses a cookie. The server can't store the information by itself, because it doesn't have any knowledge "who" the client is. Besides, there may be too many clients to keep them all in mind. |
Compare that with real life! |
Imagine a simple lottery at a funfair. If you (the client) take a lottery ticket you aren't registered by the lottery man (the server). There are too many client's around. But each ticket has a unique number. So if you come back to ask for your lottery prize, the lottery man reads your number at gives you the matching worthless prize. |
Common cookie example |
Consider a web based mail. Nearby the login button there's a checkbox "Log me in automatically" or "Remember me" or "Save username and password". Once you logged in with your username and password it is stored into cookies. The next time you visit the login page your data may be filled in automatically, so you just need to hit "Login". |
Why does Zora's download page use cookies? |
Since I'm still mapping and writing new mods and enhancing old mods, the downloadable files may change from time to time or there may be new ones. For convenience the files you don't already have are marked as New. Once you download a file the file's time stamp is stored in a cookie at your computer (e.g. "Musica=20020522"). If I upload a new version of the file, I change the file's time stamp as well. If you visit the download page again, the current stamp and the cookie stamp doesn't match, and the New mark is generated. |
What happens if I disable cookies? |
If you disable cookies, all of my downloadable files will be marked as New everytime you visit the download page, no matter whether you already have the file or not. It's only a small optical limitation. So if you don't like cookies and thus disable cookies, you'll still be able to download any file. |