Preface: I know very little about computers.

Question: How is the text we post transmitted/received? Specifically, does a firewall "see" the text itself, or just undeciphered code?

My question stems from Cap'n's troubles, and the realization that many of us use quite a colorful vocabulary in our posts, a vocabulary that probably violates many corporate internet policies. So when someone drops an F-Bomb, will that trigger a warning bell somewhere if we're browsing the Obner?

I think it depends on what sort of internet monitoring software your employer uses to screen surfing.

My last job was in local government and the 'internet marshall' system they used picked up swear words in posts like 'c*cks*ck*r' which got me a warning and Obner banned. Also any swear words in e-mails would be picked up and flagged.

I have no idea it HOW it works I just know that such things are possible.

EDIT: I thought I better alter the offending word!

i am so lucky in that my boss could care less what i do on the intranet as long as i dont "get a virus or something like that"

There are several layers of communication... I think that screening usually happens at the data link layer, where something like a "packet sniffer" can actually decode the start and end of the transmission and discover things about the packet. Is this a bittorrent packet? is it an http packet? what is contained in the packet? if you assume its text, decoding ASCII is pretty easy and the text can easily be parsed. Stuff passed over secure web sites use encryption to hide the packet contents from something like a packet sniffer. if you were to try to decode them, all you would see is garbage.

There is some interesting info on packet sniffers on the Wikipedia. If you are interested in more.

what about websites that "hide" your actual destination?

Are you talking about using a proxy?

i think so.....

i have no idea what their addresses are, but they are websites that you go to and then type in the www.?????.com you want to go to......

i've never done it, but i know people who use them at work to mask their surfing habits

but i dont know if they work or not

Hey, Bill, I use computers all day long at work and am still a technotard. That's because I use certain programs and applications and don't need to use others. My news software isn't windows-based, nor is the automation equipment at the station or the music and commercial editing programs. I've never had to write or fix a program and if something goes wrong I just bitch at the general manager. My wife laughs at my dumbness daily. She says for someone whose life revolves around computers I have no head for technical details. I've even managed to help set up three stations over the years without having to be the one to worry about the computers.

A proxy to me is someone who stands in for you at wedding rehearsal because you're too hung over to get out of bed. Or a dude who takes your place in a duel.

Yeah, that sounds like a proxy. I don't know much about using proxies to hide surfing, but my guess is that all it does is replace the header info that contains the source address with something else. That would be fine if all you workplace did was block sites, but i doubt it would do anything to hide what is actually being transmitted. Unless, of course, the proxy site sets up a secure connection with the user and encrypts everything going back and forth. I don't know though...

I don't know crap about computers, and thankfully my office is too small for monitoring the internet.