I would like to transfer a file from a server to a user for the user to read. I would like to be able to insure that the user can view, but not save or print the file.

I am willing to write a user tool to enable viewing and communication with a remote server, but need to know if this is possible under C++ using HTML transfer. I understand that some handheld devices don't permit use of FTP. I have also read that FTP data transfers are not as secure as HTML (though I can't claim to grasp the reason why). Finally, with all the legal issues surrounding encryption, I'd rather use a method for the file transfer that automatically encrypts in a manner consistent with U.S. law, if possible, rather than worry about "domestic" versus "international" limits on bit encryption levels under U.S. law. (I don't know how the "automatic" element would be achieved with regard to conformance.)

Is there a simple way to transfer a text or ascii file using an HTML control or header file function while designating that the code is not to be stored in a buffer or otherwise made available for recall? I was able to do this with FTP under Visual Basic 4.0. (I believe that Microsoft had wrapped Windows API functions related to FTP transfer into a fairly straightforward function call.) I now find myself inclined to use C++ and some form of HTML based connection if possible, and hope that there is a straightforward approach available. I realize that FTP is a protocol, and HTML is a language, so the FTP protocol worked under Visual Basic, while HTML would have required use of some other tool to write the code. I would like this code to run on PALM devices and not just Windows and Windows CE OS, and I have been led to have read that PALM devices don't permit use of FTP.

Thanks to anyone who can lend an expert response to this general inquiry.

Part of what I am seeking to learn is whether C++ is even necessary to do this. I should note that I would rather not have to deal with internet explorer or Netscape and potential means of accessing and storing files viewed using those programs. There are many people who know much more about those programs than I do, and I can not control what tools or options might be made available by the companies that developed those internet viewers in the future.