Proxy Server For Blazer

[biscoradio]

Before the message boards exploded here, rsperko had posted a jetty proxy server that he had tweaked for blazer use. IIRC, it stripped out style sheets, removed tables, resized and downgraded image quality, stripped out javascript, and did a few other things. I've been running the proxy server for a few weeks now and let about 10 other people from here access it. I know a few people are using it...

If you are using it, can you throw me a private message or add to this thread with some feedback about how well you think it is or isn't working. I don't know any of the users that I had given the info to.

If you'd like to use this proxy, send me a private message and I'll throw the info your way.

rsperko - have you made any changes to it since the last posted one here? I think it works great, btw... Significantly reduces browsing time to load pages, and lets me post on sites where I couldn't with blazer before.

Thanks again to rsperko for throwing this package together.
-rob

[Leeladisky]

I use it and love it! Works VERY well... has reduced page load times as much as 50%in some cases.

L

[mako]

I gave the proxy a shot, and while it did speed up blazer, the extent of that speed increase only proved to me that blazer's problems are more fundamental. The proxy server is great -- it takes all the things that should be making blazer so much slower than the alternatives out of the picture -- but even so, blazer is still a dog. The way it hangs while waiting for the images is just a fundamental design problem. If it loaded text before loading images, then I imagine with the proxy server it would feel just about even, speed-wise. But, it doesn't.

Now I'm back to Xiino 3.0, which seems like the winner as far as compromise goes -- very good speed + good page rendering + very good bookmark handling + good interface (except for lack of 5-way support). It's almost as fast as webviewer, and has a back button, and has good bookmarks.

[dutchtrumpet]

Originally Posted by biscoradio

Before the message boards exploded here, rsperko had posted a jetty proxy server that he had tweaked for blazer use. IIRC, it stripped out style sheets, removed tables, resized and downgraded image quality, stripped out javascript, and did a few other things. I've been running the proxy server for a few weeks now and let about 10 other people from here access it. I know a few people are using it...

If you are using it, can you throw me a private message or add to this thread with some feedback about how well you think it is or isn't working. I don't know any of the users that I had given the info to.

If you'd like to use this proxy, send me a private message and I'll throw the info your way.

rsperko - have you made any changes to it since the last posted one here? I think it works great, btw... Significantly reduces browsing time to load pages, and lets me post on sites where I couldn't with blazer before.

Thanks again to rsperko for throwing this package together.
-rob

I'd Love to have the info if you could pass it along. Sorry no prvt msg, I'm on my treo.

thanks
dutchtrumpet@yahoo.com

[sparxus]

Biscoradio - Please send me the information, too. Thanks!

Originally Posted by biscoradio

If you'd like to use this proxy, send me a private message and I'll throw the info your way.


-rob

[shneor]

Does Xiino 3.0 do SSL and download files? If you download files, can you do this to an SD card?
Thx.

[biscoradio]

All the people who had PM'ed me got sent the proxy server info. Please don't share the info, as I want to know how many people I have that are using it. I now have given it to 20 people, and won't give it out for a bit longer again.

thanks,
rob

[TerryinBalto]

Would like to use your proxy if still available....thanks!
golfingdad@yahoo.com

[ericdfairchild]

put me on the "wave 2" list - thanks!!!

[ronbo2000]

Include me on the list, please. Thanks in advance.

[rsperko]

Alright, I was really glad to read that people were finding value in the proxy server. It seems to make my browsing faster.

I just rolled a new version. This has better word wrapping in text files. I also readded some font formatting. I no longer just dump div tags, I convert them to hr tags. You need to add the Jakarta Commons Lang package (link below).

Here is a list of features the proxy server provides:
* Compress most content: html, text, prc, js, unrecognized content
* Pre-scale images. Shrinks images before downloading
* Reduce JPEG compression
* Remove style tags (best improvement for text presentation)
* HTML clean up to speed rendering
* Allow user to bypass proxy by prefixing URL with noproxy (i.e. http://noproxy.amazon.com, http://noproxy.www.jpeg.org/images/blue_large_07.jpg)
* Add a noproxy link to the bottom of all proxied pages

To install the proxy:
1. Download Jetty and PalmProxy at: http://www.sperko.com/files/Jetty-PalmProxy.zip
2. Download palmproxy.jar at: http://www.sperko.com/files/palmproxy.jar and copy to Jetty/ext/
3. Download Jarkarta lang at: http://www.sperko.com/files/commons-lang-2.0.jar and copy to Jetty/ext/

You can start the proxy with start.cmd or start.sh.

Point blazer to your home box port 8888.

The proxy speeds up most websites significantly. This does not make Blazer perform like WebViewer, but it is a more complete browser unlike WebViewer. I have actually found one site that Blazer rendered faster than WebViewer.

Please let me know of any sites that you feel are not rendered correctly.

[paulsjmail]

Originally Posted by rsperko

Please let me know of any sites that you feel are not rendered correctly.

I appreciate all the work that you have done with the proxy server. Rob (biscoradio) has been nice enough to let me use his proxy, and I find it speeds up most large sites, quite considerably.

I'm not sure there is anything you can do about this, but one of the few sites that doesn't seem to work properly (at least that I've found) is Farks mobile site. You can find it at http://www.fark.com/Avantgo.html To be more exact, the site will load properly and looks great, but if I actually click on any of the links I am taken to a page that says "Can't find that article." If I visit the same page sans the proxy, it will work fine. Just thought I would bring it to your attention.

-Paul

[JJBoja]

This is one of the best Tools for Treo for sure!

Quick question: Could somebody tell me if you can define a proxy in this proxy server. I.e. when I connect, it would go like this: Treo --> Jetty-PalmProxy:8888 --> Main Proxy:8000 --> Internet

Can Jetty-PalmProxy work with another Proxy? Thx, JJ

[biscoradio]

Okay, I updated my proxy with rsperko's latest changes. Please let us know if you experience any problems using it.

thanks,
rob

[sarois3]

I did not figure out how to make this proxy work. Can somebody please explain the installation process in more details.

Thank you

[rsperko]

Installation:

1. Download the Java Runtime Environment from http://java.com/en/index.jsp (click the "Get It Now" link).
2. Make sure that "java.exe" is in your path. You can find it in c:\Program Files\Java...
3. Download http://www.sperko.com/files/Jetty-PalmProxy.zip and unzip to c:\
4. Download http://www.sperko.com/files/palmproxy.jar and copy to c:\Jetty-4.2.19\ext\
5. Download http://www.sperko.com/files/commons-lang-2.0.jar and copy to c:\Jetty-4.2.19\ext\
6. Open a command prompt and run c:\Jetty-4.2.19\start.cmd

Once it is started you have the issue of opening up your machine through your firewall (cannot help you there much unless you run iptables on Linux). Then you configure your Blazer proxy to point to your machine.

I use Road Runner and they do not change my home PC's IP address. Even if they do, I us DNS2GO so I can find my box.

Anything I missed, anyone?

[sarois3]

You've lost me after no.6. All is new to me. Can you possibley tell me more about "iptables on Linux" and where do i get info to feed in blazer proxy?

[rsperko]

Unfortunately this proxy is not a normal windows or unix application to install. You need some familiarity with networking. To run this proxy you will really need to understand firewalls and running servers for what ever platform you are on. You will need to understand if you are using a dynamically assigned IP and how to work around that if you are.

There are just too many variables to cover simply. If you send me a private message telling me what operating system you run, and how you connect to the internet, I may be able to help you. Odds are I will not. I have not been a network admin for about 8 years. I am a pure developer these days with just enough understanding of my own network (which is all Linux based) to be dangerous.

[puyi]

Quote
"Okay, I updated my proxy with rsperko's latest changes. Please let us know if you experience any problems using it.

thanks,
rob
__________________
biscoRADIO "

Just wanted to thank Rob aka biscoRADIO for letting me test the proxy...has made Blazer worlds less frustrating to use. Ad stripping and text b4 image rendering are just terrific. I did a side by side test with my friend's PalmOne branded T600 and the gizmodo blog was still loading about 30% complete while my page completely loaded. Also her page was completely unreadable with the hotlinks and advertising links overlapping the actual blog.

I do notice that in Yahoo Yellow Pages, yp.yahoo.com, that the javascript "Search" button doesn't seem to work on the 2nd search. The first search works fine; just an annoyance, I can go to the home page or go back and search again. Same with the buttons in address.yahoo.com.

I had problems with loading a html page from the Sonicwall site, proxy returned an error message "courtesy of Jetty" I believe was the copy. But I simply added "noproxy." to the beginning of the url and I was up and running.

thank you rsperko and biscoRADIO,
Christopher

[greatnews]

Does somebody have the above three files that were held at sperko.com? The links have died and I'd really like to try this proxy. Please mail me if you have them.

TIA
Chris

Whoops my mail address is webmaster@mytreo.net