Thread: Download large files with dial-up...

  1. #1
    Unregistered User Yarin's Avatar
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    Download large files with dial-up...

    Normally, I can do so with a download manager. But when those websites don't support download resume, it's impossible for me download them.

    So, I was thinking of making a php file (using awardspace) that would load the whole file there is it's memory for me to download. The reason downloading it though a proxy (like awardspace) is because awardspace supports resume download.

    Does anyone know of better ways of doing this? Or if not, does any one know any php that might accomplish this?

  2. #2
    l'Anziano DavidP's Avatar
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    Technically any server that supports HTTP/1.1 should support download resuming. If they don't, then they are not following the HTTP/1.1 standard. The reason is because in HTTP/1.1 you are allowed to ask for a specific piece of a file, instead of just asking for the file starting from beginning to end. Therefore, your download manager downloads the file and keeps track of what pieces it already has, and then on a resume it knows what pieces to ask the server for.

    Therefore, any server that doesn't allow download resuming is either running HTTP/1.0 or is not standards-compliant.

    Anyways, besides that. Although I do know PHP, I am not knowledgable off the top of my head of a PHP script that would do this...I would have to think about it for a little bit
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  3. #3
    Ecologist
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    Hey DavidP, a dude at the University of Utah won
    a Nobel prize. Did anybody from BYU win?

    Didn't think so.

    BURN!
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  4. #4
    Unregistered User Yarin's Avatar
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    >> Therefore, any server that doesn't allow download resuming is either running HTTP/1.0 or is not standards-compliant

    Well, the server running the site isn't Appache, but it is a 1.1 version. The DM says it's called lighttpd/1.4.13.

    BTW, I surprised you knew what I meant in the OP. I was so sickening tired when I wrote that (up 'till 5am), that I don't hardly understand it myself.

  5. #5
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    Maybe it's just me, but I think you would be much happier just getting broadband. You haven't fully experienced the internet if you have dial-up.
    My computer is awesome.

  6. #6
    Devil's Advocate SlyMaelstrom's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by cerin View Post
    Maybe it's just me, but I think you would be much happier just getting broadband. You haven't fully experienced the internet if you have dial-up.
    But it defeats the purpose. I always thought of programming as an intelligent alternative to spending more time, money, man-power than you really need to.

    Anyway, to the OP, I don't have any more to add than what was already said.
    Sent from my iPadŽ

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by SlyMaelstrom View Post
    But it defeats the purpose. I always thought of programming as an intelligent alternative to spending more time, money, man-power than you really need to.

    Anyway, to the OP, I don't have any more to add than what was already said.

    You have to recognize when something is just outdated. I could sit and optimize code and what not for years on end but there is only so far you can go with it based on the technology. It's possible dial-up could still be used effectively if everyone invested tons of time and money in developing algorithms to reduce the size of the information sent. Since that's not happening then you might as well upgrade. Speaking of algorithms, I would like to mention Spore because of the claims that Will Wright reduced the file size of his models to something like 20 KB each.
    My computer is awesome.

  8. #8
    pwns nooblars
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    I believe it, there is that like 80kb FPS out there, forgot the exact way they actually did it though.

  9. #9
    Cat without Hat CornedBee's Avatar
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    Nothing in the HTTP/1.1 spec says servers have to support range operations. In fact, the spec explicitly says in 14.35.1:
    However, not all clients and servers need to support byte- range operations.
    14.35.2:
    A server MAY ignore the Range header.
    All the buzzt!
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  10. #10
    The Right Honourable psychopath's Avatar
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    I believe it, there is that like 80kb FPS out there, forgot the exact way they actually did it though.
    Procedural generation mostly, I think
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    Robotics and graphics enthusiast.

  11. #11
    Devil's Advocate SlyMaelstrom's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by cerin View Post
    You have to recognize when something is just outdated. I could sit and optimize code and what not for years on end but there is only so far you can go with it based on the technology. It's possible dial-up could still be used effectively if everyone invested tons of time and money in developing algorithms to reduce the size of the information sent. Since that's not happening then you might as well upgrade.
    I don't think, as a software person, it's your job to point fingers at the hardware people when the client comes to you with an issue. It's the easy way out... if we all did that, the hardware people would point to the design team, who would point to the sales team, who would point back to the client for not describing what they want properly. Sorry if I didn't get that order correctly, but you get the idea. Even if the easy path is to upgrade the hardware, it doesn't hurt as a software person to think of another alternative.
    Last edited by SlyMaelstrom; 10-18-2007 at 10:31 AM.
    Sent from my iPadŽ

  12. #12
    Malum in se abachler's Avatar
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    Yeah, what he said, I wanna run seti@home on my VIC-20. But seriously, 56k is so outdated it isnt even funny. Using dialup adds 82ms to your latency for normal packets just in the transmission time from the modem to the ISP.
    Last edited by abachler; 10-18-2007 at 01:20 PM.

  13. #13
    l'Anziano DavidP's Avatar
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    Nothing in the HTTP/1.1 spec says servers have to support range operations.
    I stand corrected. I had been taught otherwise.
    My Website

    "Circular logic is good because it is."

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