Re: lynx-dev https: EXTERNAL/proxy?

[David Woolley]

> 
> i've never used a proxy & am not sure exactly how they work:
> there are frequent references on lynx-dev, but mechanics remain obscure;
> if this is to become the preferred method of handling https URLs,
> there will need to be a proper explanation somewhere in Users Guide.

Proxy's should be explained by your service provider, as it is in their
interest for you to use them.  Both of the big two support them, although
not in as general a way as Lynx.  In particular, they don't allow you
to have an https proxy in the sense that Lynx does, but treat SSL 
specially.

> is a proxy simply a program to which incoming WWW material is directed
> & which then processes it & forwards it to (eg) Lynx?

A proxy is something that does work on your behalf.  In this case it
is a special sort of web server which takes a full URL, rather than 
the URL starting from the second /, and re-issues the request (they
are useful to the ISP as they may in fact return a local copy, rather
than re-issuing the request).

The Lynx https proxy support is just the general proxy support and 
results in a clear text path between you and the proxy machine and
no ability to authenticate yourself by SSL means or to verify the 
identity of the remote site (beyond any rules built into the proxy).

The big 2 use the proxy in a special mode where it establishes a 
through TCP connection over which they run SSL.  This requires that 
the browser implements SSL and the advantage is from the other use
of proxies to tunnel through security firewalls.

> is the specified port an item of hardware or a software feature?
> why is the number  5010  used above (rather than some other number)?

Software.  80 is HTTP, 110 is POP3, 21 is FTP, 457 is the HTTP server
used for SCO Unix manual pages....   5010 is an abibtrary
round number in the range that is allowable for user programs to use,
and is probably configurable.  8080 is the conventional one for cacheing
and firewall proxies (HTTP twice in decimal).