If you aren't doing SSL, locking your HTTP password in to your box is no less secure than typing it directly.

And I really don't understand why net admins set up firewalls that require firewall passwords, unless all the traffic is encrypted. Oh well.

I really don't understand why net admins set up firewalls that require firewall passwords

Do not use common sense. This is not really for security, but to controll who is allowed to go through the firewall. The bigger a company the more hierarchies and privileges are to be considered. And allowed internet access is a kind of stripe on your shoulder. Another similar thing are mail atttachements, nothing, only pictures, documents, archives, etc. So these firewalls' purpose is more to secure the internet against the employees ;-)

Nevertheless, it makes sense to allow only those user groups internet access, who need it. Others can go to the company's internet caffee for safe private access. This lowers the risk of external damage done to the internal network. BTW we are a bank with a software department.

Update: fixed typo

And it came to pass that in time the Great God Om spake unto Brutha, the Chosen One: "Psst!"
(Terry Pratchett, Small Gods)

This is not really for security, but to controll who is allowed to go through the firewall. The bigger a company the more hierarchies and privileges are to be considered. And allowed internet access is a kind of stripe on your shoulder. Another similar thing are mail atttachements, nothing, only pictures, documents, archives, etc. So these firewalls' purpose is more to secure the internet against the employees ;-)
In fairness, both these measures, proxy passwords and limiting outbound attachments, can help to isolate system compromises inside your corporate network. Once your network is compromised, measures like these can help stop the infected systems from turning on systems on the outside of your network to infect them.

set HTTP_proxy_pass=firewallpassword
[download]

Roger, you are right. You can download all PPMs as ZIP files at the ASPN web site.

/oliver/

Hans: Not ze problem!

Yes, good idea. Of course, this isn't any more secure (and his problem was one of security), since his password to the proxy has already been sniffed :)

Seeing security is already weak, I'd just permanently set the http_proxy_password variable in the Windows settings (right click on "My Computer") and not worry about it.

Why on earth use Tk? You are at the command line typing already so why would you not just insert....

print "Firewall Password ";
chomp(my $password  = <>);
[download]

Or if you don't want to read your password on the screen use:

use Term::ReadKey;

print "Enter PASSWORD: ";
ReadMode 'noecho';
my $line = <STDIN>; chomp($line);
ReadMode 'normal';
print "\n";
[download]

This works even on a windoze console.

And it came to pass that in time the Great God Om spake unto Brutha, the Chosen One: "Psst!"
(Terry Pratchett, Small Gods)