What are Cookies and Javascript
and
How are They Enabled and Disabled?

Note: Our web site requires cookies, so if you disable or selectively disable cookies, be sure to allow them for access to our content.

A cookie is a small amount of data that a Web site stores on your hard disk. The purpose of a cookie is to store a preference that you specify, such as custom page, or to allow you to return to a site later and pick up where you left off, such as when using a Web-based message board. Some sites also use cookies to store information as you move from page to page on a site.

Cookies are small data files sent by a Web site to your browser. The Web site may send one or more cookies to you. Your computer stores cookies on the hard drive. The Web site may ask for a cookie to serve you the proper web page. The cookie sent back to the web site will be the same cookie they had given you previously.

Cookies allow Web sites to maintain information on a particular user across HTTP connections. The current HTTP protocol is stateless, meaning that the server does not store any information about a particular HTTP transaction; each connection is "fresh" and has no knowledge of any other HTTP transaction. "State" information is information about a communication between a user and a server, similar in many ways to frequent flyer profiles or option settings in desktop software. (For example, a preference for aisle or window seats is cookielike information that a frequent-flyer program might store about one of its customers.) In some cases it is useful to maintain state information about the user across HTTP transactions.

Cookies can be used to store information about a user that either the user or the Web site provides. Some scenarios include the following:

• Alice is shopping at a particular Web site that uses a shopping cart. She puts items into a shopping cart by clicking a link or an "Add to Shopping Cart" button. Cookies are used to store the contents of Alice's shopping cart so she can conveniently purchase a cart full of items rather than one item at a time.
  
  
• Bob clicks around a Web site that allows users to view articles for a small charge. Cookies can be used to store information about which articles he has viewed (that is, a list of URLs) so that he can pay for them all at once rather than each time he downloads an article.
  
  
• Carl fills out a Web form with his name, address, and other information. Cookies can be used to store this information so that the next time Carl visits the site, the information is automatically uploaded and he doesn't have to provide it again. Cookies we send you will never reveal your personal information. Specifically, we never store names, email address, or credit card numbers.
  
  
• Don logs in to a Web site that requires a user name and password. When Don's user name and password pair is successfully verified, the server passes down a cookie that functions as a "guest pass" allowing him access to certain areas of the Web site. After a set time period, perhaps half an hour or a day, the guest pass expires and Don must log in again.
  
  

In each of these examples there are only two ways to store data: either the server provides it (as in the last example) or the user provides it by taking some action (such as clicking a link or button or filling out a form).

No. Cookies can only store data that is provided by the server or generated by an explicit user action.

No. Cookies cannot be used to gather sensitive information. Cookies can only store data sent from the website. Cookies are passive data structures that are delivered to the client, stored on the client's hard drive, and returned only to the same server that sent the cookie in the first place.

Cookies are stored on the user's hard drive (although during actual communication it is stored in your browser's memory). The directory is different for each platform.

Long-term
A Web site may set a 'long-term' cookie by choosing a future expiration date, generally one year from today. This cookie recognizes you when you enter the website and allows you certain features without having to log in.

Short-term
A 'short-term' cookie specifies a date in the past, and is deleted when you close your browser. This would require you to log in each time you visit the site to use certain enhanced features. The cookie remembers you as you surf through the site

Your account allows you to choose to have the long-term cookie disabled. This is recommend if the primary place you access the internet is on a public computer, such as a library or Internet Cafe.

No. Cookies are designed to be read only by the site that provides them. Your computer will not recognize any request for another websites cookie.

Yes. The information we store in a cookie is encrypted using 132 bit encryption schemes. In addition, cookies used during secure transactions, such as payments or purchases, will be delivered and received only in the context of a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) session. The SSL session involves additional encryption of data.

The normal state for your computer is to accept cookies, unless you or someone else has changed your browser's settings.

Depending on your browser type and settings, you may be alerted when a site is about to set a cookie on your hard drive. If notified of the cookie installation you may accept or reject the cookie.

Good cookies are always made with real butter, peanuts and chocolate chips. Unfortunately, computer cookies don't have much flavor.

These are all 'client-side' programming languages. That means the scripts are in the web page you download and operate in your web browser. ('Server-side' languages, such as php, asp, and perl operate on the website server.) These 'client-side' scripts can perform many functions, but usually perform a specific task.

A typical use is for input field validation when you fill out a form. If you forget to enter a information in a required field, an alert window opens informing you what is missing. This saves processing time and results in quicker form submission for you.

Other uses can be to display a running clock on the web page, drop down navigation menus, pop-up windows ( to supply more information about what you are reading ) and instantly changing a web page based on an action by the user.

Are the scripts dangerous to my computer or personal information? The older browsers, several years ago, had security issues that scripts could exploit. Browser developers (Microsoft, Mozilla, Opera, etc.) have imposed restrictions limiting the script activity to the browser's displayed page. Ultimately, it all depends on the integrity and honesty of the web site you are visiting. Legitimate, mainstream web sites DO NOT exploit their users or execute harmful scripts.

All scripts used at this web site have been custom-written by our in-house programmers and reviewed by our security specialists. They have been extensively tested to insure a safe environment and enhanced browsing experience for our users.

NOTE: There are still security issues that are currently unresolved with ActiveX.

We use Javascript exclusively on all of our websites. This is the oldest web-based client-side programming language and the safest for use. Security issues have been addressed by all browser developers.