Raining like "cats & dogs" today, on & off... so, am continuing my testing of my program above (making 110% sure it is "bulletproof & bugfree", & it appears above, thus, even over 1 million records (1 testset has repeat items, other does not))...
Takes it 3 hours to go thru 1 million ++ records (non-repeated entry version, & far, FAR faster with ones that bear repeat records though)! However, by way of comparison (imo @ least):
That's not TOO long to ask imo, for a completely normalized, alphabetized, & most efficient form of line entries there is, for a HOSTS file's entries!
Besides - @ this point? I think I am probably one of a VERY FEW that keeps a HOSTS file of such size (12mb/576,000++ entries as of today), online...
E.G./I.E.-> Most folks that are "into" this level of security online (& speed too)? Heck - if they have a 1mb sized - 3.5mb sized HOSTS file, IF THAT??
Well - I'd be surprised...
(& it will rip thru THAT size range of a HOSTS file, in the BLINK OF AN EYE, literally (normalizing/removing repeat entries, alphabetizing the entries via a sortation routine, & then allowing you to addon speedup entries to your fav. sites!))
Especially considering I can make a 20mb HOSTS file go down to 12mb, & have it function JUST AS WELL, for both speedups of your fav. sites, & blocking bad sites, also!
(AND, with FAR less RAM consumed by it being loaded results in the local DNS cache, & also FAR FASTER LOAD TIMES up from disk too)
So far, so good though, all-in-all... & I even updated MOST of the sites (including this one) for others to try it out, in my "HOW TO SECURE Windows 2000/XP/Server 2003 & VISTA" threads I put up across 20++ or so forums online... because this program IS about securing yourself, more than speeding yourself up online (though, it will aid in doing that too)!
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Then, it's on to addon the ability to download a newly updated HOSTS file, FULLY normalized + alphabetized via this program, built from the most reliable security-site sources, most likely via FTP code!
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* This is why a coder should NEVER throw away any old code... you'd be surprised when you have to reuse it again (especially if its written completely "TIGHT" & optimized as best you can do it).
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(Anyhow/Anyways - That's the rest of my day, today, & hopefully it goes well)
APK
P.S.=> My HOSTS file was built from completely valid/legit & reliable sources noted thru this thread (wikipedia link on HOSTS files, places like mvps.org & others on that page, & others like SpyBot S&D, for instance) + the "HOW TO SECURE Windows 2000/XP/Server 2003 & VISTA" thread I put out in the Operating Systems section of this & other forums online!
E.G.-> SpyBot S&D, spamhaus, phishtank, sri, shadowserver, & others, all noted in my HOSTS file as well in its internal documentation (which IS fully documented as to how to use a HOSTS file) were used to build it, as well as my own research on this (mostly adbanner blocking &/or bad site blocking)...
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This FTP update (to get a completely NEW & comprehensive protecting HOSTS file) also should not be difficult either...
(As I have written up FTP d/l code before (much simpler to do imo, than upload code for FTP), much as the ping section of this was... I had the code already from others apps I built of that nature, too: Some hassles not many though, because I put in code SPECIFIC to the last app it was in (thank goodness I used separate units (like .bas modules in basic, albeit in Object Pascal), made it MUCH simpler to integrate)).
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Thus, eventually?
I'll probably send this to various places that do this type of work (such as mvps.org, & others who put out HOSTS files (whose data I utilized to create my "massive hosts file")), so they too, can "check it out"... & if they like it? That would be good!
This application is, OVERALL, meant to be "for the good" of any others that have an interest in security online...
This part, I'd give away, for free, literally (because of that)... however, NOT the "Achilles Shield" idea I have above though.
I'll send them the variation you see above, minus the FTP download code for a newly updated normalized HOSTS file though... that, I have plans for, as noted above... apk