Received: with ECARTIS (v1.0.0; list gopher); Thu, 20 Nov 2003 17:19:30 -0600 (CST) Return-Path: <spectre@floodgap.com> X-Original-To: gopher@complete.org Delivered-To: gopher@complete.org Received: from localhost (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by glockenspiel.complete.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 70F042A4 for <gopher@complete.org>; Thu, 20 Nov 2003 17:19:29 -0600 (CST) Received: from floodgap.com (netblock-66-159-214-137.dslextreme.com [66.159.214.137]) by glockenspiel.complete.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id BC0DB163 for <gopher@complete.org>; Thu, 20 Nov 2003 17:19:28 -0600 (CST) Received: (from spectre@localhost) by floodgap.com (8.9.1/2003.05.26) id PAA13094 for gopher@complete.org; Thu, 20 Nov 2003 15:32:15 -0800 From: Cameron Kaiser <spectre@floodgap.com> Message-Id: <200311202332.PAA13094@floodgap.com> Subject: [gopher] HTML abuse of the gopher proxy To: gopher@complete.org Date: Thu, 20 Nov 2003 15:32:15 -0800 (PST) X-Mailer: ELM [version 2.4ME+ PL39 (25)] MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit X-Scanned-By: clamscan at complete.org X-archive-position: 850 X-ecartis-version: Ecartis v1.0.0 Sender: gopher-bounce@complete.org Errors-to: gopher-bounce@complete.org X-original-sender: spectre@floodgap.com Precedence: bulk Reply-to: gopher@complete.org List-help: <mailto:ecartis@complete.org?Subject=help> List-unsubscribe: <mailto:gopher-request@complete.org?Subject=unsubscribe> List-software: Ecartis version 1.0.0 List-Id: Gopher <gopher.complete.org> X-List-ID: Gopher <gopher.complete.org> List-subscribe: <mailto:gopher-request@complete.org?Subject=subscribe> List-owner: <mailto:jgoerzen@complete.org> List-post: <mailto:gopher@complete.org> List-archive: <http://www.complete.org/mailinglists/archives/> X-list: gopher

Well, I was dismayed to find that the gopher proxy is getting abused to turn someone's gopherspace into web hosting -- they put up HTML pages, and then use the proxy to "transparently" access them, and make it all look like a website.

It's not a major drain on my resources (right now), and the site in question seems honourable enough (right now), but I'm not happy about their usage of it and I doubt the site that's giving them the gopherspace would be wild about their use of it either (I'll give the URL to those interested offlist). I'd also like to discourage the practise from being employed in the future.

My plan is to rewrite the proxy so that 'h' itemtype can be downloaded to disk for offline viewing, or the source viewed directly, but no straight on transparent access. If anyone can suggest a good reason why this is not a good idea, I would love to entertain it. With this approach, the document can still be viewed, but it will discourage people abusing the proxy to make websites out of their gopherspace when they really should be using proper gophermenus.

Incidentally, just as a reminder, the public gopher proxy has moved to

http://gopher.floodgap.com/gopher/

Update your bookmarks.

-- ---------------------------------- personal: http://www.armory.com/~spectre/ -- Cameron Kaiser, Floodgap Systems Ltd * So. Calif., USA * ckaiser@floodgap.com -- TRUE HEADLINE: Astronaut Takes Blame for Gas in Spacecraft -----------------