feature request: http proxy support

[ssshake]

This project is awesome! Great work. I Just learned about this from RetroTech Chris's video.

I am the creator of theoldnet.com which is a service that lets you browse internet archive website snapshot along with some other lesser known archives as well.

I offer a proxy at theoldnet.com:1996.

I'm wondering if you could add http proxy support so that I could point your browser at my service and then do some 90's website browsing in dos!

[jhhoward]

Hi I'm familiar with your website! There are actually some elements I need to fix up to get some of your pages displaying correctly.

MicroWeb actually already supports using an http proxy, although it looks like I forgot to document it. If you set the DOS environment variable HTTP_PROXY then it will use the given value as the proxy server address. I just tested and setting HTTP_PROXY=theoldnet.com:1996 works for me :)

[roytam1]

MicroWeb actually already supports using an http proxy

I wonder if it can pass HTTPS links to HTTP_PROXY? so https://github.com/classilla/cryanc can get in the game.

[jhhoward]

I haven't tried the project that you linked to but I did have success with running this proxy to strip https, by running on a raspberry pi on my local network:
https://github.com/DrKylstein/retro-proxy

[medeirosT]

I have a stupid idea... Can you make the application use a config file for this and have us set it up through a setup.exe program?

[ssshake]

@jhhoward I'm flattered!

OK awesome that it supports proxies, any chance to also support a domain exception list? Most browsers with proxy support have the ability to exclude certain domains from the proxy.

[kargaroc]

I'd reccomend advertising this capability in the readme, since most of the web is HTTPS (for good reason!) nowadays, and letting people know that there's something that they can do about that would be nice.

[ssshake]

A preferred TLS work around for modern web would be a nice offering.

Another option to consider is frogfind.com rather than using a proxy. Maybe cheaper/easier for some people?

For archived 1990's-2000's websites I would love to be the preferred retro-proxy of microweb! ;)

@jhhoward I was thinking maybe you could provide an example env file with all of the valid keys. I checked the repo earlier today and if such a file exists it didn't jump out at me.

Also completely unrelated but this thread sparked an idea in me. There should be a single list of all of these services and tools. I ended up spending a couple hours today building this and I've included microweb, retro-proxy, cryanc and of course theoldnet.com in the list!

https://github.com/ssshake/retro-computing-internet-resources

If anyone knows of other services/tools which should be on the list please mention it on the discussion board there. Hope you don't mind me plugging this here.

[jhhoward]

I've updated the README in the Github repo with details on the HTTP_PROXY environment variable, and a suggestion for how you can use a proxy to get around HTTPS limitations. If you are redirected to an HTTPS page then the browser will offer a frogfind.com link for you automatically.

I will look into adding a domain exception list for the proxy service.

@ssshake Thanks for adding MicroWeb to that internet resources list! You may want to update the description as the latest release of MicroWeb now supports EGA, VGA and Hercules modes as well as CGA. :)

[roytam1]

You may want to update the description as the latest release of MicroWeb now supports EGA, VGA and Hercules modes as well as CGA. :)

that's cool, you should provide more screenshots about them!

[ssshake]

OK great thanks, I have updated my Wiki.