Posted on 06/13/2004 2:26:03 PM PDT by ThePythonicCow
Any javascript gurus out there who might answer this?
When I find a link to a Washingon Post article on Google News, and click on it directly from the Google page, it goes directly to the article, without stopping at the Washington Post Registration page. But if I copy out that exact same link, and try to go to it by pasting it into the Address field of my browser, or try to use it in a FR posting, then the link sends me to the WP Registration Page.
Does anyone have a clue how Google does this? Since clicking on that link when it is in their web page does not, so far as I know, go back through Google, but just has my browser issue the http request directly to the Washington Post (in this case), how can WP know whether or not I am clicking on the link in a Google News page, or some other way?
My guess is that it must involve some javascript that causes my browser to behave differently when the link is on the Google News page.
meee too!
Just found a site today that'll help you get around WaPo registration:
http://bugmenot.com/
My initial reaction to your butmenot.com link was a frustrated: I didn't ask how to get around it - I just wanted to know how it works!
I think that reaction puts me in the hacker camp. No doubt about it.
Thanks - take care.
If you are on a Washington Post page, or most any other, and Right Click, then Properties, you can copy the URL from the Properties box, and that link will work from the address bar, or as a direct link from here.
Often the print friendly page works as a direct link as well.
The link:
works without registering, but the link: requires registration. This still leaves my initial question - how can Google arrange so that it has be linking to the "requires registeraion" link, but not require it?
There must be some behind the scenes HTML. I am curious as well.
I don't why this works but I take advantage of it all the time. I have noticed it doesn't work in every single case even at the same site.
It's the referrer field. When you click on a Washington Post link on the Google News web page, and your browser packages up an http request package to send off to the Washington Post web server, asking for the desired web page, one of the things your computer puts in that first outgoing packet is the "referrer", which is the URL of the Google News page holding that link you just clicked on.
Then when the Washington Post's web server gets your request for that page, a fraction of a second later, the code running in that web server can look at a field in your request called the "referrer" field, and give your request special treatment. For instance, if it that fields says you clicked through from Google, it could skip the registration. Apparently, it is doing just this.
That The Proxomitron tool that is mentioned, on the web site USS Clueless - Washingon Post Registration linked to off the one you provided, is apparently a tool that lets you lie about this referrer field, and set it to, say, http://www.google.com when asking for a Washington Post page, so that you can take advantage of their special treatment for requests coming from (referrer field value) Google to bypass the registration.
As clear as mud, no?
I regret to say the Proxomitron web filter is well and truly dead. Unfortunately, while attending a "save the hedgehog" rally, it was fatally mauled by a jealous flock of rampaging echidnas.
In addition you may want to try these other web filtering programs...
All of you, computer savvy or not, should use the Proxomitron. It will work out of the box and protect against such things as popups and homepage hijackers. Run the install program, put a shortcut to it in your startup folder, and then set it as an http proxy on port 8080. To do this for IE go to tools, internet options, connections. Then click settings if you have a dialup connection or click lan settings if you have cable. Either way, the rest is the same. Check the box that says use a proxy server and then click advanced. Under proxy address by HTTP, type in "localhost". Under port, type in 8080. OK your way out and surf free of popups, ads, and other obnoxious stuff.
You will have an icon in your system tray. If you want to bypass the program and see the page as it would appear normally, right click the icon and select bypass all filters and refresh the page.
Another thing. If you maintain the browser proxy settings as mentioned above and the Proxomitron is not running, you will not be able to connect to the internet. You will either have to reverse the proxy settings in the browser settings or start the Proxomitron.
Finally, this program is a stand-alone meaning it adds nothing to the registry or do such things as install dll's in the windows directory. This means if you don't like it all you have to do is not use it and if you want to uninstall it, just delete its program folder.
It's available here:
http://www.proxomitron.info/files/index.shtml
Get it now before it disappears.
Sounds good, though.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.