Apache/CompressClientFixup version 0.02
=======================================


INSTALLATION

To install this module type the following:

   perl Makefile.PL
   make
   make test
   make install

=head1 NAME

Apache::CompressClientFixup - Perl extension for Apache-1.3.X to avoid C<gzip> compression
for some buggy browsers.

=head1 INTRODUCTION

Standard gzip compression significantly scales bandwidth,
and helps to please clients, who receive the compressed content faster,
especially on dial-ups.

Obviously, the success of proper implementation of content compression depends on quality of both sides
of the request-response transaction.
Since on server side we have 6 open source modules/packages for web content compression (in alphabetic order):

=over 4

=item ·Apache::Compress

=item ·Apache::Dynagzip

=item ·Apache::Gzip

=item ·Apache::GzipChain

=item ·mod_deflate

=item ·mod_gzip

=back

the main problem of implementation of web content compression deals with fact that some buggy web clients
declare the ability to receive
and decompress gzipped data in their HTTP requests, but fail to keep promises
when the response arrives really compressed.

All known content compression modules rely on C<Accept-Encoding: gzip> HTTP request header
in accordance with C<rfc2616>. HTTP server should never respond with compressed content
to the client which fails to declare self capability to uncompress data accordingly.

Thinking this way, we would try to unset the incoming C<Accept-Encoding> HTTP header
for those buggy clients, because they would better never set it up...

We would separate this fix-up handler from the main compression module for a good reason.
Basically, we would benefit from this extraction, because in this case
we may create only one common fix-up handler for all known compression modules.
It would help to

=over 4

=item ·Share specific information;

=item ·Simplify the control of every compression module;

=item ·Wider reuse the code of the requests' correction;

=item ·Simplify further upgrades.

=back

=head1 DESCRIPTION

This handler is supposed to serve the Fix-Up stage on C<mod-perl> enabled Apache-1.3.X.

It unsets HTTP request header C<Accept-Encoding> for the following web clients:

=head2 Microsoft Internet Explorer

Internet Explorer sometimes loses the first 2048 bytes of data
that are sent back by Web Servers that use HTTP compression,
- Microsoft confirms for MSIE 5.5 in Microsoft Knowledge Base Article - Q313712
(http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q313712).

The similiar statement about MSIE 6.0 is confirmed in Microsoft Knowledge Base Article - Q312496.

In accordance with Q313712 and Q312496, these bugs affect transmissions through

=over 4

=item HTTP

=item HTTPS

=item FTP

=item Gopher

=back

and special patches for MSIE-5.5 and MSIE-6.0 were published on Internet.

Microsoft has confirmed that this was a problem in the Microsoft products.
Microsoft states that this problem was first corrected in Internet Explorer 6 Service Pack 1.

Since then, later versions of MSIE are not supposed to carry this bug at all.

Since the effect is not investigated in appropriate details for earlier versions of MSIE,
this version of the handler does not restrict compression for any MSIE.

=head2 Netscape 4.XX

This is C<HTTP/1.0> client.
Netscape 4.XX is failing to

=over 4

=item a) handle <script> referencing compressed JavaScript files (Content-Type: application/x-javascript)

=item b) handle <link> referencing compressed CSS files (Content-Type: text/css)

=item c) display the source code of compressed HTML files

=item d) print compressed HTML files

=back

See detailed description of these bugs at
http://www.schroepl.net/projekte/mod_gzip/browser.htm - Michael Schroepl's Web Site.

This version serves cases (a) and (b) as default for this type of browsers.
This version contains commented code to serve cases (c) and (d).

=head2 Partial Request from Any Web Client

This version unsets HTTP header C<Accept-Encoding> for any web client
if the HTTP header C<Range> is presented within the request.

=head1 INSTALLATION

The installation consists of the two steps:

 - Installation to your Perl Library
 - Configuration of your Apache Server

=head2 Installation to your Perl Library

Use the regular procedure to install this module to your Perl Library.

When you have your local copy of the package type the following:

   perl Makefile.PL
   make
   make test
   make install

Note: You should be a root to succeed with the last step...

To install the package from the CPAN try to run

   perl -CPAN -e "install Apache::CompressClientFixup"

on your UNIX machine.

=head2 Configuration of your Apache Server

Use the idea of the following example to create your own configuration:

  PerlModule Apache::CompressClientFixup
  <Location /devdoc/Dynagzip>
      SetHandler perl-script
      PerlFixupHandler Apache::CompressClientFixup
      Order Allow,Deny
      Allow from All
  </Location>

=head1 DEPENDENCIES

This module requires these other modules and libraries:

   Apache::Constants;
   Apache::Log;
   Apache::URI;

which come bandled with C<mod_perl>.

=head1 AUTHOR

Slava Bizyayev E<lt>slava@cpan.orgE<gt> - Freelance Software Developer & Consultant.

=head1 COPYRIGHT AND LICENSE

I<Copyright (C) 2002 Slava Bizyayev. All rights reserved.>

  This package is free software.
  You can use it, redistribute it, and/or modify it under the same terms as Perl itself.
  The latest version of this module can be found on CPAN.

=head1 SEE ALSO

C<mod_perl> at F<http://perl.apache.org>

C<Apache::Dynagzip> at F<http://search.cpan.org/author/SLAVA/>

Michael Schroepl's Web Site at F<http://www.schroepl.net/projekte/mod_gzip/browser.htm>

=cut

