Host file Question

Alright, I have heard(or read actually) alot people talking about the Host file. I understand that using it blocks some of the ads or redirects that occur when you visit a site. Does this improve performance or slow it down?

On a different note, what the @#$% does overclocking mean and what is the purpose. Please forgive my ignorance.

Thanks for the help.

 

does it improve performance? well, I guess that could be a side-effect of redirecting domains to local host but the host file really isn't useful for sub domains...infact, it doesn't work at all for sub domains.

As for overclocking..see the geektionary
http://www.majorgeeks.com/glossary.php?id=15

 

Thanks, I think I will save the host file for the reroutes that aggravate me the most. Very much thanks for the geektionary link. That will prove to be very useful.

 

There is a custom HOSTS file that is very popular (over 200kB of stuff in it) - easy to find with any search engine. Read all the info there and it will show how to eliminate some potential causes of slowdowns. It works great for me. But I did find that it blocked the Andale counters on eBay listings - easy enough to fix by editing the file.

.bh.