[Yoda]

Originally Posted by jannd228

just testing the waters

http://www.thevillages.com/golf/golf.asp

it worked for me, anyone else

It worked for me.

Yoda

[jannd228]

Originally Posted by Yoda

It worked for me.

Yoda

I don't understand the problem I guess, or why there is a re-direct on some pages and not others

[getdul981]

I have no idea how or why it works, but I have found that if there's a link posted in anything TOTV related, I just right click on it and then click on "Open in a new window".

[Pturner]

Originally Posted by ajbrown

Here is some more info which further describes what EdV described so nicely:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTTP_referrer

Still confused. I thought referrer just describes the function a website uses to identify the url from which a site is visited. It doesn't have anything to do with specific code to block traffic from the identified url.

Of course, I could be wrong.

[ajbrown]

Originally Posted by Pturner

Still confused. I thought referrer just describes the function a website uses to identify the url from which a site is visited. It doesn't have anything to do with specific code to block traffic from the identified url from visiting.

Of course, I could be wrong.

It is a header in the http protocol. The referrer header is available to the web server when a browser requests a resource (web page). That header contains the URI of the web page the link was on that someone clicked to get to a resource on the web site (I do not have time to fix that sentence ). This is used to "attempt" to tell the web server where the user is visiting from. This header can indeed be used by the web server to deny access or send the browser somewhere else.

The link below is very nasty reading, but describes how it is done in the APACHE web server.

In this link go to the section referer based deflector.

http://httpd.apache.org/docs/2.3/rewrite/access.html

This header is spoofable. There are sites that let you spoof the referrer header. Here for example is TH's link that fails:

http://www.golfthevillages.com/

Here is the same link run through a referrer spoofing site:

http://www.golfthevillages.com/

I is not too great at splainin', but hope it helped...

[Pturner]

Originally Posted by getdul981

I have no idea how or why it works, but I have found that if there's a link posted in anything TOTV related, I just right click on it and then click on "Open in a new window".

Yes, but regardless of whether you just click this link:

http://www.thevillages.com/golf/golf.asp

or right click it and choose "open it in a new window", it opens to The Villages home page.

On the other hand, if you type http://www.thevillages.com/golf/golf.asp
into your web browser in the url field, you will get the section of TV's website about golf.

Likewise, if you type http://www.golfthevillages.com into your web browser URL field, you will get the TV GOLF section. But if I either click this link from TOTV or right click it and choose "open in a new window," I get a blank page.

I tried emailing myself both links, i.e., www.thevillagesgolf.com/golf/golf.asp and www.golfthevillages.com, and in both cases, I got the TV GOLF section, not the home page.

So, linking to the golf section from the TOTV website does either redirect you to the TV home page or not link to anything. It could be that linking to the golf section from any other website would do the same thing. Dunno.

I use Firefox mostly.

Now, all of this is much ado about nothin' much, so why am I even posting this? Dunno.

[Pturner]

Originally Posted by ajbrown

It is a header in the http protocol. The referrer header is available to the web server when a browser requests a resource (web page). That header contains the URI of the web page the link was on that someone clicked to get to a resource on the web site (I do not have time to fix that sentence ). This is used to "attempt" to tell the web server where the user is visiting from. This header can indeed be used by the web server to deny access or send the browser somewhere else.

The link below is very nasty reading, but describes how it is done in the APACHE web server.

In this link go to the section referer based deflector.

http://httpd.apache.org/docs/2.3/rewrite/access.html

This header is spoofable. There are sites that let you spoof the referrer header. Here for example is TH's link that fails:

http://www.golfthevillages.com/

Here is the same link run through a referrer spoofing site:

http://www.golfthevillages.com/

I is not too great at splainin', but hope it helped...

I think she's got it. She being me.

[ajbrown]

Originally Posted by Pturner

Now, all of this is much ado about nothin' much, so why am I even posting this? Dunno.

Think of this as just a fun puzzle for the brain.....

I never knew what a referrer header was until I joined TOTV!

[Pturner]

Originally Posted by ajbrown

Think of this as just a fun puzzle for the brain.....

I never knew what a referrer header was until I joined TOTV!

Thanks, once again, aj. By thinking of it as "just a fun puzzle for the brain," I can justify my interest and curiosity, stead of thinkin' I have a few too many loose screws, although I probably do.

[Talk Host]

None of our members hacked the Villages Server. The action was deliberate on the part of decision makers at a very high level.

My take is that they are concerned that if TOTV makes a link referral to one of their sites, people may think we have some relationship to them.

[Pturner]

Originally Posted by Talk Host

None of our members hacked the Villages Server. The action was deliberate on the part of decision makers at a very high level.

My take is that they are concerned that if TOTV makes a link referral to one of their sites, people may think we have some relationship to them.

TH, that theory doesn't seem to fit. If they were trying to avoid people making a connection between TOTV and TV, why would they redirect TOTV traffic from say, the TV golf section to the TV Home page?

[Talk Host]

Originally Posted by Pturner

TH, that theory doesn't seem to fit. If they were trying to avoid people making a connection between TOTV and TV, why would they redirect TOTV traffic from say, the TV golf section to the TV Home page?

Their home page is their most important page. They would welcome any traffic direction to that page. It's the lesser know pages that we discuss and seek access to that are blocked or re-directed.

But, I don't know what their thinking is. I may be all wet. (Is that possible?)

[Bogie Shooter]

The evil doers have returned!

[EdV]

I think it has more to do with them viewing TOTV as a competitor for advertising space in their Daily Sun newspaper. I know that Realtor Lyle Gant’s site is also being blocked as he notes here: http://www.lylesellsfla.com/client_services.shtml since he is a competitor for their real estate operation.

Also, remember that they would not allow TOTV to post an ad in the Daily Sun either.

[jannd228]

Originally Posted by EdVinMass

I think it has more to do with them viewing TOTV as a competitor for advertising space in their Daily Sun newspaper. I know that Realtor Lyle Gant’s site is also being blocked as he notes here: http://www.lylesellsfla.com/client_services.shtml since he is a competitor for their real estate operation.

Also, remember that they would not allow TOTV to post an ad in the Daily Sun either.

gotcha, now I understand