Re: [Lynx-dev] LYNX: how to make lynx FORGET file WAS protected (no longer!)?

[David Combs]

On Fri, Dec 19, 2008 at 08:07:57AM +0000, David Woolley wrote:
> David Combs wrote:
>> Trying to download something.
>>
>> Lynx correctly complains that it cannot -- permissions wrong.
>>
>> So I ^z and fg into kermit and set the permmissions a+r.
>>
>> Then I fg back into lynx, and try it again.
>>
>> Same complaint.  (It's the OLD complaint -- it
>>  remembered it DID have wrong permissions.)
>
> This could be a server side problem.  Many servers have "friendly" error  
> pages.  Quite a lot of these are mis-implemented and return a 200 status  
> page, rather than a 403 status one.  It's quite possible that a  
> subsequent refresh may refresh the friendly page, or even do a  
> successful if-modified-since on the original page.
>
> Kermit should not be caching 403 responses, but it should be caching a  
> 200 response.
>
> Note some servers even reply with a client side redirect to their  
> friendly pages.  In fact, it is such client side redirects that usually  
> end in 200 status 403 responses!
>
> Reloading the page will cancel the effect of any client side redirect  
> and will mean that if-modified-since requests can't be used.
>
> -- 
> David Woolley
> Emails are not formal business letters, whatever businesses may want.
> RFC1855 says there should be an address here, but, in a world of spam,
> that is no longer good advice, as archive address hiding may not work.
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Lynx-dev mailing list
> address@hidden
> http://lists.nongnu.org/mailman/listinfo/lynx-dev

Thanks for the informative response, David.

The isp I use is panix.com (manhattan) shell-account -- so I
sent your reply to their people.

Here's the reply I got:









| From address@hidden Wed Dec 24 03:30:47 EST 2008
| Article: 129043 of panix.questions
| Path: reader1.panix.com!panix!not-for-mail
| From: address@hidden (Eleanor J. Evans [Panix Staff])
| Newsgroups: panix.questions
| Subject: Re: How to make LYNX *forget* a file *was* (no longer) protected?
| Date: Fri, 19 Dec 2008 19:10:46 +0000 (UTC)
| Organization: Public Access Networks Corp.
| Lines: 55
| Message-ID: <address@hidden>
| References: <address@hidden>
| NNTP-Posting-Host: panix5.panix.com
| X-Trace: reader1.panix.com 1229713846 27197 166.84.1.5 (19 Dec 2008 19:10:46 
GMT)
| X-Complaints-To: address@hidden
| NNTP-Posting-Date: Fri, 19 Dec 2008 19:10:46 +0000 (UTC)
| X-Newsreader: trn 4.0-test76 (Apr 2, 2001)
| Xref: panix panix.questions:129043
| 
| In article <address@hidden>,
| David Combs <address@hidden> wrote:
| >Here's a question I sent to the lynx-people, and their response.
| 
| >From: David Woolley <address@hidden>
| >To: address@hidden
| >Date: Fri, 19 Dec 2008 08:07:57 +0000
| >Message-ID: <address@hidden>
| 
| >David Combs wrote:
| >> Trying to download something.
| >> Lynx correctly complains that it cannot -- permissions wrong.
| >> So I ^z and fg into kermit and set the permmissions a+r.
| >> Then I fg back into lynx, and try it again.
| 
| >> Same complaint.  (It's the OLD complaint -- it
| >>  remembered it DID have wrong permissions.)
| 
| >This could be a server side problem.  Many servers have "friendly" error
| >pages.  Quite a lot of these are mis-implemented and return a 200 status
| >page, rather than a 403 status one.  It's quite possible that a subsequent
| >refresh may refresh the friendly page, or even do a successful
| >if-modified-since on the original page.
| 
| >Kermit should not be caching 403 responses, but it should be caching a 200
| >response.
| 
| >Note some servers even reply with a client side redirect to their friendly
| >pages.  In fact, it is such client side redirects that usually end in 200
| >status 403 responses!
| 
| >Reloading the page will cancel the effect of any client side redirect and
| >will mean that if-modified-since requests can't be used.
| 
| We are sending a 403; we are not doing a friendly redirect.
| 
| I tried this with a page on my own site, first setting its permissions
| not to be group- or world-readable.  lynx correctly handed me a 403.
| In another window, I reset the permissions on the page.  When I
| reloaded in lynx, it handed me a 403 again.  When I reloaded a second
| time, it retrieved the page.
| 
| Trying it a second time, it took 3 refreshes to make lynx recognize
| the change.  Although, interestingly, it recognized the forbidden
| status right away.  And again, it took 5-6 refreshes (I lost count).
| And doing it *again*, it loaded it right away.
| 
| Firefox, on the other hand, had no such lag.
| 
| Which is to say, I don't know what's going on, but I don't think it's
| server-related.
| 
| -- 
| Eleanor J. Evans, address@hidden
| Customer Support, (212) 741-4400
| 
| 


Hmmm.  You mentioned kermit.  Kermit wasn't involved when running
lynx from my HOME computer, trying to download FROM panix (which
I *do* use kermit for to get into -- via telephone).

The the home-based lynx-run was connected directly to the net (I rarely
plug it into my computer -- have enough problems without having 
my system penetrated!  So I plug in, download, unplug. For
browsing the net, with pictures, etc, I just use my wife's pc.)


Anyway, what's with this lynx having to refresh multiple times stuff?


Thanks!

David