HTTP capture notes
The capture facility in HTTP Werkzeug is a nuisance. I make no bones about this. It is never likely to improve – especially in Windows – but there are some other solutions that should prove easier to use and more convenient. For Windows and graphical UNIX/Linux users, the Ethereal network protocol analyser makes a good packet sniffer. Simply filter the capture on tcp port 80
or host some-host
to watch all HTTP traffic or examine HTTP access for a particular site. Ethereal does look scary but it is deceptively easy.
Mozilla and Firefox users should note that there is an extension called Live HTTP Headers
that displays request and response headers as they arrive in a window or in the sidebar, or afterwards when you view page info. This can be extremely convenient to use.
Macintosh classic users should also note that the free Interarchy 6.3 FTP client includes a packet sniffer; look in the Mac OS 8 & 9 Extensions subfolder of Interarchy Extras for extensions that enable its Show Traffic packet capture function. I forget quite how this works as I have not touched it in a long time.
I have considered that HTTP Werkzeug for Mac OS classic could directly control Internet Config’s proxy settings to enable and disable packet capture via proxy spoofing, but in light of considering the advantages of packet sniffers, this seems of less use. It is also ineffective with WaMCom Mozilla which in traditional Netscape fashion ignores Internet Config. iCab is of course a much better bet here, and IE:mac also obeys Internet Config.
I personally find little or no use for the capture facility for the Web, although it can have other uses such as testing whether inbound connections are working on any given port.