Mar 03 2008
Gladder Review
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Gladder (Great Ladder) is a FireFox plug-in intended to assist users who are behind a Firewall to access harmonized (this is my funny translation of the popular new term 河蟹 
) web sites such as Wikipedia.
The plug-in works as a dynamic proxy that supports a self-definable blocked sites list. Once installed, the application displays a small 
icon to the far right of the FF status bar. Clicking on it turns auto-redirecting on and off. Configuration menus are easily accessed by right-clicking on the same icon.
The software comes with a default site list: right-click on the icon -> Options -> Settings Tab -> Personal Banned Sites List. Your favorite sites such as wikipedia.org, wordpress.com and blogspot.com, etc. are already there, meaning if you only need to visit these sites, no configuration is needed. After installation, simply type their urls in FF address bar and hurrah you are there!
According to the programmer, the application automatically searches in a pool of proxies to pick the available one to use. Theoretically, this means smooth access with no down time. But during my test, the connection was cut several times while accessing some links. There are no technical details available on Gladder home page or from its discussion group. So it is still not clear if this plug-in is safe to use or can effectively protect surfers’ anonymity. However, since the software doesn’t provide https access, chances are that any site you visit could be logged and traced.
Like many other things, technology is a double-edged sword.
Use it wisely.
*Update*
Gladder now often redirects your request to some proxy web portals – sometimes even ads – very annoying indeed. I guess this is because some of the proxy sites in the software’s pool decide they should earn more ad revenue 
. These pages often have a URL input bar where you have to re-enter the destination address.
WARNING: NEVER use a proxy server to visit your bank, PayPal or other important accounts. Entering your password through a proxy is risky!
For detailed instructions on how to use Gladder, visit this link.
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