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WWWOFFLE Proxy Welcome Page

The WWWOFFLE programs simplify World Wide Web browsing from computers that use intermittent (dial-up) connections to the internet.

Description

The wwwoffled program is a simple proxy server with special features for use with dial-up internet links. This means that it is possible to browse web pages and read them without having to remain connected.

The links in this list either refer to the Configuration file options [CONF], to the page that allows editing of the options [EDIT] (may require a password), to more information in this document [READ] or to another URL [URL].

Basic Features

Caching of HTTP, FTP and finger protocols.
Allows the 'GET', 'HEAD', 'POST' and 'PUT' HTTP methods.
Interactive or command line control of online/offline/autodial status. [URL]
Highly configurable. [CONF]
Low maintenance, start/stop and online/offline status can be automated.

While Online

Caching of pages that are viewed for later review.
Conditional fetching to only get pages that have changed. [CONF] [EDIT]
- Based on expiration date, time since last fetched or once per session. [CONF] [EDIT]
Non cached support for SSL (Secure Socket Layer e.g. https). [CONF] [EDIT]
Can be used with one or more external proxies based on web page. [CONF] [EDIT]
Control which pages cannot be accessed. [CONF] [EDIT]
- Allow replacement of blocked pages. [CONF] [EDIT]
Control which pages are not to be stored in the cache. [CONF] [EDIT]
Requests compressed pages from web servers (compile time option). [CONF] [EDIT]

While Offline

Can be configured to use dial-on-demand for pages that are not cached.
Selection of pages to download next time online
- Using normal browser to follow links.
- Command line interface to select pages for downloading.
Control which pages can be requested when offline. [CONF] [EDIT]
Provides non-cached access to intranet servers. [CONF] [EDIT]

Automated Download

Downloading of specified pages non-interactively. [CONF] [EDIT]
Options to automatically fetch objects in requested pages [CONF] [EDIT]
- Understands various types of pages
  - HTML 4.0, Java classes, VRML (partial), XML (partial).
- Options to fetch different classes of objects [CONF] [EDIT]
  - Images, Stylesheets, Frames, Scripts, Java or other objects.
- Option to not fetch webbug images (images of 1 pixel square). [CONF] [EDIT]
Automatically follows links for pages that have been moved.
Can monitor pages at regular intervals to fetch those that have changed. [URL]
Recursive fetching [URL]
- To specified depth.
- On any host or limited to same server or same directory.
- Chosen from command line or from browser.
- Control over which links can be fetched recursively.

Convenience

Optional information footer on HTML pages showing date cached and options. [CONF] [EDIT]
Options to modify HTML pages [CONF] [EDIT]
- Remove scripts. [CONF] [EDIT]
- Remove Java applets. [CONF] [EDIT]
- Remove stylesheets. [CONF] [EDIT]
- Indicate cached and uncached links. [CONF] [EDIT]
- Remove the blink tag. [CONF] [EDIT]
- Remove refresh tags. [CONF] [EDIT]
- Remove links to pages that are in the DontGet list. [CONF] [EDIT]
- Replace images that are in the DontGet list. [CONF] [EDIT]
- Replace webbug images (images of 1 pixel square). [CONF] [EDIT]
- Demoronise HTML character sets. [CONF] [EDIT]
- Stop animated GIFs. [CONF] [EDIT]
Automatic proxy configuration for Netscape. [URL]
Searchable cache with the addition of the ht://Dig or UdmSearch programs. [URL] [URL]
Built in simple web-server for local pages. [URL]
Timeouts to stop proxy lockups [CONF] [EDIT]
- DNS name lookups. [CONF] [EDIT]
- Remote server connection. [CONF] [EDIT]
- Data transfer. [CONF] [EDIT]
Continue or stop downloads interrupted by client. [CONF] [EDIT]
- Based on file size of fraction downloaded. [CONF] [EDIT]
Purging of pages from cache [CONF] [EDIT]
- Based on URL matching. [CONF] [EDIT]
- To keep the cache size below a specified limit. [CONF] [EDIT]
- To keep the free disk space above a specified limit. [CONF] [EDIT]
- Interactive or command line control.
- Compression of cached pages based on age. [CONF] [EDIT]
Provides compressed pages to web browser (compile time option). [CONF] [EDIT]

Indexes

Multiple indexes of pages stored in cache [READ]
- Servers for each protocol (http, ftp ...).
- Pages on each server.
- Pages waiting to be fetched.
- Pages fetched last time online.
- Pages requested last time offline.
- Pages monitored on a regular basis.
Configurable indexes
- Sorted by name, date, server domain name, type of file.
- Options to delete, refresh or monitor pages.
- Selection of complete list of pages or hide un-interesting pages. [CONF] [EDIT]

Security

Works with pages that require basic username/password authentication.
Automates proxy authentication for external proxies that require it. [CONF] [EDIT]
Control over access to the proxy
- Defaults to local host access only. [CONF] [EDIT]
- Host access configured by hostname or IP address. [CONF] [EDIT]
- Optional proxy authentication for user level access control. [CONF] [EDIT]
Optional password control for proxy management functions. [CONF] [EDIT]
Can censor incoming and outgoing HTTP headers to maintain user privacy. [CONF] [EDIT]

Configuration

All options controlled using a configuration file. [CONF]
Interactive web page to allow editing of the configuration file. [EDIT]
User customisable error and information pages.

WWWOFFLE Cache Indexes

The index of all of the pages stored in the WWWOFFLE cache is available in a number of formats.
The indexes are organised by hostname with a separate list for each host. The basic URL is /index/, but this can be modified with a path as follows.

/index/: The main index that has links to all of the other indexes.
/index/http/: A list of the http pages that are cached (or any other protocol).
/index/http/www.gedanken.demon.co.uk/: A list of the http pages that are cached from the host www.gedanken.demon.co.uk (or any other protocol and host).
/index/outgoing/: The list of requests waiting to be fetched.
/index/monitor/: The list of requests for pages that are monitored on a regular basis.
/index/lasttime/: The list of pages that were accessed the last time that the program was online. This also provides access to a history of the pages accessed the previous five times online.
/index/lastout/: The list of pages that were requested the last time that the program was offline. This also provides access to a history of the pages accessed the previous five times offline.

WWWOFFLE Single and Recursive Page Requests

Pages that are wanted can be fetched by entering them into the browser's own page selector. Or alternatively by using the command line interface or interactively from a WWWOFFLE web page form.

/refresh-options/: An interactive page for specifying the fetching pages recursively.

WWWOFFLE Monitor Page Requests

Pages that are wanted on a regular basis can be fetched by entering them into a WWWOFFLE web page form.

/monitor-options/: An interactive page for specifying the fetching pages on a regular basis.

WWWOFFLE Interactive Control

The WWWOFFLE proxy can be controlled either through a command line interface, or interactively from a web page.

/control/: An interactive page to control the proxy program. [Requires the password from the configuration file if set, but any user name.]

WWWOFFLE Cache Searching

With the installation of the program ht://Dig or UdmSearch it is possible to search the pages in the WWWOFFLE cache.

/search/htdig/search.html: The ht://Dig search form.
/search/udmsearch/search.html: The UdmSearch search form.

WWWOFFLE Internet Links

The WWWOFFLE FAQ is provided with the program and there is also an online version at http://www.gedanken.demon.co.uk/wwwoffle/version-2.6/FAQ.html

The WWWOFFLE homepage on the internet is available at http://www.gedanken.demon.co.uk/wwwoffle/ and contains the latest information about the program in general.

The latest information about using this version of WWWOFFLE is on the WWWOFFLE Version 2.6 Users Page at http://www.gedanken.demon.co.uk/wwwoffle/version-2.6/user.html

A description of the compatability of WWWOFFLE with various browsers is at http://www.gedanken.demon.co.uk/wwwoffle/version-2.6/browser.html

A page containing useful information and advice about how to use WWWOFFLE is at http://www.gedanken.demon.co.uk/wwwoffle/version-2.6/hints-tips.html

WWWOFFLE E-Mail

For bug reports you should directly e-mail the author at amb@gedanken.demon.co.uk, this is helped if you put WWWOFFLE in the subject line.

There are three mailing lists that WWWOFFLE users are invited to join:

wwwoffle-announce: A mailing list for announcements about new versions of WWWOFFLE and bug fixes.
wwwoffle-users: A mailing list for users of WWWOFFLE to discuss the program and for people having problems configuring or running the program to ask questions. This does not include operating system specific topics.
wwwoffle-win32: A mailing list for users of WWWOFFLE on win32 systems to discuss the program and for people having problems configuring or running the program to ask questions.

To join one of these mailing lists send an e-mail to majordomo@gedanken.demon.co.uk with the phrase subscribe wwwoffle-announce or subscribe wwwoffle-users or subscribe wwwoffle-win32 in the message body.

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