[e2e] Compression of web pages

[Woojune Kim]

Comments below..

> > But, correct me if I'm wrong, this is more of a passive 
> indication saying I can receive gziped files. What I was 
> wondering if there was a way for the user to indicate 
> proactively, "Please compress these HTML files when you send 
> them to me." 
> > 
> > The original question was triggered by how we can allow 
> wireless internet users to get compressed web pages. It seems 
> only by having the web proxy modify the http data can we get 
> what I was thinking about.
> 
>    I fail to see the significant difference.  If, and only if, the
> webserver can compress the pages, then it will if you send
> accept-encoding gzip.  

To be more exact "If, and only if, AND IF CONFIGURED/ WANTS TO DO SO, the 
webserver ..."

I've tried this out on a couple of websites but even though I'm sending accept-encoding gzip, they never seem to send gzipped files back... (Of course some sites do..)

> So, with a gzip-happy webserver, "accept" means "please." 
> If the server doesn't support it, no
> amount of demand or wishful thinking will ever force it to
> compress pages...
> 

I agree. 

But I was thinking, why wasn't such a "demand method" ever included ? Or is it implicit ? I can't see anywhere in the HTTP spec saying that a server must / should always send a files gzipped if it gets a request with the accept-encoding = gzip. 

>    If you want more than that, you need a transcoding proxy.
> c.f. transend/tacc (inktomi) and many others.  To get you 
> started, see:
> 

Which goes back to the original posted message about external boxes.... :-)