[R] downloaf.file

[ripley@stats.ox.ac.uk]

On Tue, 4 Feb 2003, Thomas Lumley wrote:

> On Tue, 4 Feb 2003, Barry Rowlingson wrote:
> >
> >   That's bytes. Yes I know its character! I dont think web servers are
> > under any obligation to provide accurate Content-length values. Many
> > dynamic web servers have pages that change length every time. This will
> > also not for for ftp:// URLs or local file:// URLs (or gopher:// URLs?).
> >
> 
> The HTTP protocol says that a content length SHOULD be provided and MUST
> be accurate if it is provided.

Most proxies of my acquaintance will report unknown unless they are asked
to actually get the file or have it already cached.  Further, the IE 
internals used under Windows with --internet2 usually seems to get the 
wrong length (far too short) when talking to a proxy.

Why is this of interest: there are lots of internet download tools 
available apart from R?

-- 
Brian D. Ripley,                  ripley at stats.ox.ac.uk
Professor of Applied Statistics,  http://www.stats.ox.ac.uk/~ripley/
University of Oxford,             Tel:  +44 1865 272861 (self)
1 South Parks Road,                     +44 1865 272866 (PA)
Oxford OX1 3TG, UK                Fax:  +44 1865 272595