Raw http
Easy, you have to use TELNET to GET the HTTP.
You can use a tool like BurpProxy (downloadable at http://www.portswigger.net/proxy/)
You set it as the proxy for your web browser, and before and after you make requests it brings up the window for you to view and edit the requests/responses to and from the server.
There really isn't such a thing as "raw" HTTP without creating an application to do it yourself. In essence, it is a "guided" HTTP communication. Some other protocol wraps it and manipulates fine details.
For a quick and easy solution, as was said, use TELNET. However, you can utilize all of HTTP, not just GET. Post, Put, Head, even WebDAV extensions are free to be used through these means.
Try this, however: http://www.bluebitter.de/porttst2.htm
It acts like the Windows Telnet client, wrapping HTTP for you and allowing you use to psuedo-plaintext traffic submissions.
You could also use a tool called a 'packet crafter.'
Thanks for all the help, got what I wanted. Some good tools in there too, burp being new to me, and excellent if I might add. It's a bit much just for this maybe, but I'm downloading it anyway.
On a side note though, can anyone else get telnet to work for this? I'm trying c:\>telnet www.google.com 80 and getting Could not open connection to the host…:Connect Failed I get the feeling that it's just me. I was trying netcat too, but I didn't get the whole response, just <html>… onward, and I can't figure out why. But now I'm just rambling and getting off topic. Thanks again.B)
You actually have to drop the www., like so:
telnet google.com 80 {will take you to 'interactive' mode}
Now you type any command you would like to execute, try a simple GET first.
Remember, not every webserver runs HTTP on port 80. nods at LLOH. If port 80 doesn't work run a quick Nmap scan to figure out where HTTP is lurking.
Ok, removed the www. (so simple :( ) and now the connection opens just fine. But I still don't think I'm getting the whole message. I get the html, there's no http info. Anybody know what's happening?
@spyware. it's not a port issue, I'm using popular, standard sites.