Proxy servers and the "cannot publish" error - v.1.1.2

Question

Using the latest iWeb (1.1.2), attempts to publish my work to my .Mac account resulted in the infamous "publish error." I then came across this KB article:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=303927
I turned off my proxy access in the Network settings, and voila, publishing was successful. But now, I'm circumventing my much-needed proxy.
It's been suggested in other threads here that proxies aren't a problem if one's iDisk is accessible through it. This is not the case. With the proxy, iDisk access is fine, it's only iWeb publishing that is a problem.
Any way to keep my proxy and still publish with .Mac?

Answer 1

iDisk access and iWeb publishing ARE indeed different activities. They are similar in that they both utilize the WebDAV protocol over Port 80, but they are different in their individual requirements for back and forth communications with the .Mac servers in terms of how soon or in what timeframe they expect to hear confirmation of transfer back from the server.
It is apparent to me that the network timeout threshold for copying something to iDisk is a lot longer than that for publishing through iWeb. In fact, I would say that iWeb has become a lot more stringent with network timeouts ever since it was updated from 1.0 to 1.1.
Anything in between your computer and the .Mac servers contributes to network latency. There are both software and hardware contributions to this latency. Proxy servers, like routers, can be software or hardware based. Software-based latency is most often greater than hardware-based latency.
I would guess that removing any kind of latency "generating" obstacles within your control would likely improve iWeb function and decrease the incidence of publish errors. Some of these obstacles can include background processes, busy LAN activity (like VOIP use or streaming music/video or online gaming), wireless access points, proxy servers, and routers.
On the other hand, I also think that if Apple increased iWeb's network timeout threshold, that most of the publishing errors that people experience could be eliminated.