Squid gzip Content Encoding
What does it do?
Squid with gzip Content Encoding will be able to peform inline transcoding of HTTP request objects in realtime, and serve the appropriate content to the user based on what they can accept. Most web browser clients can accept gzipped files with no modification or client-side configuration. With this feature, browsing speed over slow links, like dialup lines, will be improved.
In time, assuming folks can be harangued into helping us pay for it, we will embark on development of additional features to enhance dial-up and slow-link web usage. Things like image resampling on the server-side, and possibly a client-side agent to perform tasks like local caching and request compression.
When will it be ready?
We expect to begin testing this week (last week of May). Production quality code will likely be available a few weeks after that. The sooner we raise the money, the sooner we can get this into the hands of a wider audience, and get the bugs worked out. Assuming we raise the funds, it will be released as a patch against Squid 3.0, and we will provide binaries for Linux to contributors.
Why not put it into the official Squid 3.0?
It will be a patch applied to Squid 3.0, and we will distribute Squid 3.0 binaries and sources with the gzip modification. However, Squid 3.0 is in feature freeze and only bug fixes are permitted at this time. To get gzip into the official Squid will have to happen during a devel cycle rather than a stabilization period. So, assuming we raise the money, further development and official integration will happen during the Squid 3.1 development cycle.
What's the license?
GPL, just like Squid. It is not a standalone module, and will be merged into the standard Squid codebase during the 3.1 development cycle, assuming we can raise the funds to make it happen.
Then how can you charge me money to get it?
The GPL has no restriction against demanding payment for software. It also gives you the right to sell or give it away, once we've distributed it to you. You could even set up your own Squid gzip distribution business and undercut us on price (or begin distributing a version of Squid that contains the code). However, if we don't raise the money to fund development, the code will stop being developed. It's that simple. We're putting our money where our mouth is, as are a few other people--we simply want you to contribute as well.
It is worth noting that this is not a profit-making venture for Swell. Every penny raised will go to the development fund, and will be paid out to the developer (or developers in the event we are able to embark on image resampling and/or the client-side of the dialup accelerator equation). We have commitments totalling $3400 in development budget from our clients, and we are committing $1000 (plus quite a bit more for Squid 3 stabilization work, which will be required to make this software production-ready), if the community will take responsibility for the other $2600. We have also received a tentative offer from a gzip acceleration card manufacturer to port this code, at no cost to us or the community, to make use of a gzip acceleration card. Our clients who are on-board for sponsorship have time constraints, and so their offers of funding will dry up in 1 to 2 months time. In short, there is simply no better time to make this happen...but we just don't have the development budget to fund it all ourselves. So we'd like for every ISP or company who will be using this to drop $400 into the bucket, because if we can't raise the money we can't merge the code into Squid (or distribute it ourselves).
You're evil! I'm going to tell Richard Stallman on you!
Ok. But you're wasting your time. This is a perfectly valid use of the GPL. We will be providing the source code to those who have paid for it, under the GPL, as required by the GPL. What happens from there is out of our hands, but I can say with confidence that without someone taking responsibility for the code, it will never make it into a STABLE Squid version.
I think this is a great idea! I want to help!
Donations may be sent via PayPal to squidgzip@swelltech.com, or click the donate button above. You may also pay by credit card, by faxing your billing details, the email address where you'd like to receive any Ransom versions of the software, and the amount you'd like to donate to the fund to 1-815-642-4583. Or you may send a check or money order to:
Swell Technology
Attn: Squid gzip
417 Honeysuckle Dr.
Cedar Park, Texas 78613
To repeat the terms: If you chip in, you will get Squid with gzip compression, or your will get your money back.
No, I want to contribute code! Give me the software for free and at some point in the future I'll send you a patch!
Sorry. If you want to write content encoding for Squid, and/or add gzip support to it and don't want to contribute to our development fund, we won't try to stop you, and you have the same source code we're starting with. But we're running a ransom to fund ongoing development of acceleration features in Squid, and we're asking the people who benefit from it to pay for that development. We will benefit from it, and thus we're contributing significantly more than we're asking any individual to contribute.
How much money has been donated so far?
We have received $3400 in funding from Swell Technology clients. Swell Technology has committed $1000, plus we have committed to stabilizing Squid 3.0 enough to make this project useful in a production environment. $3000 of the $3400 mentioned is from a single ISP, and they are going to get working code, whether we raise the rest of the devel budget or not--however, they will not redistribute the resulting code if the remainder of the devel budget cannot be raised from the community. (Reread the GPL if you think this violates the license of Squid in some way. It does not. We will not be distributing the code to anyone else, if the funds aren't raised.)
How much does it cost to sponsor development?
We're asking every ISP that would find these kinds of features useful to donate $400. This is pennies on the dollar to what you're paying or would be paying to proprietary dialup acceleration vendors, and we believe it is a very fair request. We're putting up 250% of that amount ourselves from our own limited devel budget.
Can I give more?
Sure! The more you can donate, the closer you'll bring us to making gzip happen in the official Squid, and the more time and effort we can spend on creating additional dialup enhancements.
What if you don't raise enough money to release the code?
We will refund 100% of all $400 sponsorships to the contributor, and we'll take a painful loss on the cost of development (we're already under contract to the developer and the cost doesn't change based on whether the money is raised or not). The deadline for raising the money will be two months after completion of the code--the code is scheduled to be in testing by the end of May (this week, as I write this on May 25th).
I'm broke! Can I send less than $400?
Sure. We aren't demanding anything of you, and the ransom features will eventually be integrated into the official Squid, whether you contribute or not, assuming we can raise the money to pay for development. Any contribution gets us closer to the GPL integration, and so you will benefit from any donation you opt to make. And, more importantly, Squid will get content encoding support with the ability to gzip content inline.
What's with this Ransomware stuff? I want it for free, just like Squid!
We're all entitled to our own opinions. Here's mine.
Why should we trust you with our money?
Because you know us, or at least the community does. And because we've done this before with great results and a very happy community to show for it. We are an Open Source company, with a long history of doing everything we can for the community, including lots of projects for and based on Squid...some projects are just bigger than we can economically take on by ourselves, so we're asking for some help.
Who has sponsored Squid CE/gzip so far?
The following folks have donated at least $400. Thanks to these folks, development is underway. Thank you all!
Downloads
There are no downloads, and there will be no downloads until the ransom has been raised. Because any development versions of the code that we distribute will be under the GPL, it is possible someone else will begin distributing it. If so, I hope it does not impede our ability to raise the funds to continue development.