Cookies and their consequences

[holdomedo]

can someone explain me the term cookies like you are talking to a child? What are the disadvantages and advantages of deleting cookies for your TIF folder in w2k? TIUF = temporary internet files
I keep reading the definition from dictionary.com but for some reason it never sinks in...thanks

 

[Mitzi]

Ok, the simple answer...

A cookie is simply a small file which stores information about you for a site you have visited.

For example, you visit Amazon.com and create an account and login.

Next time you go to Amazon.com the page automatically recongizes you and you don't need to login again. This is because when you logged in for the first time Amazon.com put a small cookie on your machine which held this information. When you visited the site again, Amazon checked to see if you had one of their cookies on your machine - if you do Amazon retrieves the information stored in it. If you don't have the cookie Amazon would simply ask you to log in again.

To answer your question there are no real disadavantages/advantages for deleting the cookies in your temp internet folder. When a web site sets a cookie on your machine they can specify the cookies lifespan, therefore any obsolete cookies should automatically vanish anyway. If you do delete all your cookies the most that will happen is that any web site which has set a cookie on your machine will no longer recongnise you and you will have to log in again.

For a more indepth explaination, direct from the horses mouth click here.

Hope this is a little clearer.