Re: TI-H: linux...


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Re: TI-H: linux...




>On Wed, 16 Sep 1998, Brian Watson wrote:
>
>>
>> TGaArdvark@aol.com (TGaArdvark@aol.com) wrote:
>>
>> >Precisely why I use Netscape (that and I hate MSIE).
>>
>> If you're connecting via AOL and using Netscape, you're still going
>> through their server and proxy...
>
>Uhmmmm...No.  When you connect to AOL, you get an IP address assigned to
>you individually.  The proxy only gets used when you use AOL's obsolete
>integrated browser.

Sorry!  Thats not how it works!  All network traffic goes through a
'router' (device used to route internet connections through one
connection/computer).  The 'router' receives the http data request, and if
the page is cached and hasn't timed out, it sends you that.  If it has been
longer than about a minute, it sends out the request, saves the file, then
sends it to you.

You have no choice but to use AOL's router.  Run trace route on your linux
machine.  You seem to say you know alot about them.  :P

>You can connect to AOL with the AOL client, start one of the many ftp
>servers for windows, and ftp into your AOL client.  You can also ping it
>and do all that wonderful stuff.

Yes!  and all taht junk is routed to a backbone where there are proxy servers!

>If you connect to AOL and use Netscape, you are NOT using the proxy.

Yes you are.

>You
>are not censored from anything.

No one said censored.  PROXY means the page has been stored on AOLs server
to make internet seem faster, when it isn't.

>You get logged as being from your dynamic
>IP.

The router assigns you that dynamic IP.  You could have the router assign
you the same IP every time you log on, but AOL won't let you do that.

>It's no different than dialing into your average PPP-based ISP and
>doing whatever.  You get your own IP, but it's dynamic.

Ever used linux?  Ever used a proxy server?  Do you know what you are
talking about?

IPs are a different topic.  A 500 page book doesn't talk about all there is
to know about IPs.  The IP has NOTHING to do with the proxy server.

Factually, you have no idea if you are being proxied unless you run trace
route!  Some ISPs give you the option of using a proxy (they give you an IP
to enter into netscape) but ANY ISP can force you to use a proxy whether
you like it, know it, want it, or not.  Basically, if you are accessing any
www page, you are getting it through a transparent proxy server.




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