What benefits are there to managing the hosts file besides ad blocking?
While blocking ads is easily reason enough, you can also block any offensive websites and servers by adding them to your hosts file. Many websites are dangerous since they actively try to break into your computer by using known exploits or security holes. Adding known sites to your block list will prevent such attacks from these sites. Eliminating content you’re not interested in seeing also makes your browsing experience much faster since you’re not slowing down your connection with unnecessary content.
