At 06:16 PM 10/19/00 -0700, Marshall Rose wrote:
I know some folks are talking about blocks, though that could replace a
lot
more than HTTP:
http://www.bxxp.org
i don't think so. i think that http is as entrenched as ip & tcp, and is
nearly as irreplacable.
the problem, i think, a general lack of clarity as to what http is for.
i'd say that beep is a generic application protocol framework for
connection-oriented, asynchronous interactions.
while http is many things to many people, i don't think anyone would
s/http/beep/ in the previous sentence.
I'm hearing from developers who are looking for alternative to HTTP as a
substrate for protocols, and from others who find HTTP too constraining
even for the uses it has claimed to serve. Both groups seem to like blocks
when I point them that direction, though I haven't heard of actual
implementation.
Be ambitious - it can be fun sometimes. I agree that HTTP is entrenched,
but I hardly consider it irreplaceable. Maybe I've just had too much fun
watching the launch of XML, but I think there's lots of room out there for
significant change. Maybe not into the Web browser tomorrow, but blocks is
definitely promising for a wide variety of possibilities.
Simon St.Laurent
XML Elements of Style / XML: A Primer, 2nd Ed.
XHTML: Migrating Toward XML
http://www.simonstl.com - XML essays and books