We would like to state that we have found one possible solution to this problem, where the user himself can define what information he is looking for at a specific server, then scan the server when visiting it with his browser. The information is then saved and made easily accessible to the user, independent of what system he is using.
Our solution is based on a proxy-server, through which the user makes his connections. The server is configurable as to what information to scan for and where, as well as in what format, the data should be saved. Our method with an independent proxyserver is not as efficient as including this support into a browser, but it is enough to give proof of the concept. For high-speed connections to a server on the same network as the user, it might be possible for a user to notice that it is slowing down the connection, but it’s a matter of fractions of a second, and surfing under normal conditions the user is very unlikely to be bothered by the proxy. The actual loss in performance is the time required to make a second TCP-connection for each call, as well as a slight loss of efficiency due to Java’s thread synchronization.
