RE: HTTP Server's jobs for CGI applications

[boldt@xxxxxxxxxx]

Leslie wrote:
>Describe to me a more manageable navigation method. Sure you could put
>the burden on the server through CGI but even if you are using
>mod_perl/apache the hit to the system might go over the top.

In an e-business app, you're dealing with CGI apps anyways, aren't
you?  Generating common menus or navigation bars in your CGI app
can't be much of an overhead compared to other stuff in your app,
eh?

>Why not off
>load the responsibility of handling navigation to the client side.
>Even if you move your navigation scheme to a server side app you still
>don't patch the holes in the browser; there are still activex, flash,
>director and others all with their on well know security flaws.
>Until something better comes along, no commerce site is going to toss out
>all the neatness for plain drab html.

Check out this plain drab web site: <http://www.amazon.com/>.  I
hear they get a bit of business.  And guess what?  They don't use
JavaScript!

>Tossing out java script right now
>is silly, there do need to be some big changes made but that is true with
>any language. But the basic weakness in this case isn't the language it
>is the browser/desktop.


As a web developer, you have to accept one indisputable
fact of life:  Not all clients are going to have the same
capabilities.

For whatever reason, some clients either have cookies
disabled, or they don't support them.

For whatever reason, some clients either have scripting
disabled, or they don't support it.

For whatever reason, different client browsers support
different (often incompatible) levels of scripting.

(Heck, many hits to your web site aren't even human.  There
are a lot of spiders roaming about the web!)

Now then, either you try to recognize each specific client
configuration that may come your way, or you follow simple
established standards, such as plain HTML (or XHTML).
Amazon seem to do alright without scripting, why can't you?

Regarding cookies, there are very clear and easy
alternatives.  Perhaps cookies makes CGI programming in
languages like C and RPG easier, but alternatives such as
"URL Munging" are dirt easy using advanced server tools,
such as Java Servlets or JSP's.

-----

Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got some TCP server code
that needs my attention.

Cheers!  Hans

Hans Boldt, ILE RPG Development, IBM Toronto Lab, boldt@ca.ibm.com


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