R help - Jul 2006 - HTTP User-Agent header

I am using R in an environment where the HTTP proxy server blocks
browsers that do not send User-Agent strings.  Through some testing,
we have determined that R, by default (2.3.1) does not send a string
when performing the chooseCRANmirror() function.  Is there a setting
that allows us to manually set the User-Agent value?

Thank you, James

-- 
James P. Howard, II  -  jh at jameshoward.us
http://jameshoward.us/  -  (443)-430-4050

What OS is this?

If Windows, see the rw-FAQ Q2.19.

Otherwise, see ?download.file and choose a different download method,
or look at the source code (src/modules/internet/nanohttp.c) and submit a 
patch.

On Fri, 28 Jul 2006, James P. Howard, II wrote:
> I am using R in an environment where the HTTP proxy server blocks
> browsers that do not send User-Agent strings.  
Given how incredibly easy they are to fake, why?
> Through some testing, we have determined that R, by default (2.3.1) does 
> not send a string when performing the chooseCRANmirror() function.  Is 
> there a setting
BTW, the chooseCRANmirror() function does not do HTTP: download.file() and 
url() do and the help is at ?download.file.
> that allows us to manually set the User-Agent value?
> 
> Thank you, James
> 
> 
-- 
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