<P>
The simplest way of understanding exactly what a cookie is would be to visualize
it as a note on a scrap of paper. When you go to a web site that depends on them
that web site will give you a cookie (or note) and on that cookie is written info
that came from the site (not from your computer). If the cookie contains
something from you then it is something you gave it. Then, every time you hit
that site again (for as long as the cookie persists) your web browser hands the
cookie (or note) back to the web site who reads it and says "Ahh, I remember
now!" and acts accordingly.
<P>
These reminders for the system are often used to remember your preferences, or
sometimes for more inportant things such as a unique identifier for a shopping
cart so you can shop online.
<P>
As far as tracking is concerned, yes, it is possible to do SOME tracking with
cookies. Here is the most common scenario for tracking:
<P>
You hit the home page of website xyz.com and they give you a cookie Remember
a cookie is just a note with some info from the site on it, in this case lets
say it's a visitor ID. You are visitor number 532 and the site wants to know
that every time you visit.
<P>
You click on a link. Your browser goes to load that page. It hands the cookie
back to the site saying "I am visitor number 532, you know me" and the site says
"Oh, yeah, welcome back visitor 532" (notice the site doesn’t know your name is
Kevin because you never told it). Then the site gives you the page you
requested.
<P>
Here is where the tracking comes in place. You see, without cookies the web
site would of never known you'd ever been there before so as far as it's
concerned you went straight into the site at the second page, But, since you
told it you were visitor 532 it was able to write in it's logs "User 532
visited both the home page and blah.html"... this is not tracking you personally,
this is for statistics. As I will demonstrate further.
<P>
Lets say you visit several other pages on the site ignoring the ones you have
on interest in. By the fact that the server knows that user 532 visited all
these same pages it knows there is one random person out there that liked this
one group of pages. BUT if a thousand people visit the same group of pages that
tells the people who run the site that they need to arrange the pages to make it
simpler for people to visit those same group of pages. Similar to putting the
peanut butter next to the Jelly in the grocery store.
<P>
This is not tracking you personally, this is helping the sites gather statistics
that they can use to improve their site, which eventually helps you because you
get better service from them.
<P>
That is one use for cookies.
<P>
But lets keep going, because there are others.
<P>
Now, lets say the web site asks you what color you would like the background to
be when you are reading pages. You choose white because it's easy to read.
(Perhaps all the pages had a gray background before).
<P>
Now you go to a page, your browser hands the site a cookie that says "Hi, I'm
user 532 and I like White backgrounds" and the site says "Great, I will make it
white for you" and gives you the page in white.
<P>
Now you want to buy something from the site and you click on the thing you want
to buy (a widget). So, the server says "I'd give you a cookie saying what you
just put in your cart, but if you buy too much it will be a pain, so here, have
a cookie saying you are using shopping cart number 37 and I will remember what
is in it."
<P>
So then your buddy interrupts your web serving with an ICQ to a picture of his
dog playing ping pong with a squirrel and you go look. This means you have left
the web site completely, but not to worry, the site will remember you.
<P>
After having a good laugh you go back to the site and hand it your cookie that
says "Hi, I'm user 532, I like white backgrounds, and I was using shopping cart
number 37" so the site says "Great! I know you, here have a white back ground,
by the way, I am still holding your widget when you are ready to buy it."
<P>
The moral of the story: Cookies aren't malicious, they don't ever tell the site
anything that it didn't already know, they can be quite helpful, and dog's
playing ping pong are worth a laugh.
<P>
[Note to self: add something about advertising trackers]
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