Two ready to use alternatives are RabbIT and Ziproxy. Both compress your traffic, convert images to smaller size/quality, try to optimize content (html/css/js). One can also build his own solution, using i.e. Apache with mod_proxy, mod_deflate and filters.

It may be also beneficial to run another proxy on client (netbook) side of connection, to implement more aggresive caching than browser would allow (or to use highly compressed transport format, that browser itself may not be able to decipher, say jpeg2000).

Another solution -- not replacing, but supplementing such proxies -- is to use some kind of compressed tunnel to your desktop: say, ssh -C -L|D or openvpn. Such a tunnel will extend compression benefits to non-HTTP traffic (mail, IM, ...) and HTTP metadata.

Speaking of mail (although it's way out of your initial question, I know... I like to think aloud ), using IMAP IDLE extension should greatly reduce bandwidth used to checking mail (in short, it's kind of push solution -- server notifies client about new mail, without repeated login/check/logout sequences). Basic IMAP by itself, when used reasonably, can reduce amount of data downloaded - headers-only, selective download of attachments... If I were building such solution, I'd use IMAP server at home, synced with all external accounts, and then connect from netbook via above tunnel, NOT using SSL/TLS -- tunnel is encrypted itself, and additional encryption layer would prevent good compression (although TLS has possibility of using compression internally, I have yet to see it used somewhere...).

And, for almost all protocols (although HTTP proxies will take care of it by themselves), local caching DNS may be convenient -- it won't significantly decrease your traffic, but may reduce latency.

Last edited by briest (2010-05-16 14:15:36)