Re: The "Presentation" Layer

-----Original Message-----
From: web400-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:web400-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx]On
Behalf Of Nathan Andelin
Sent: Thursday, July 17, 2008 5:01 PM
To: Web Enabling the AS400 / iSeries
Subject: Re: [WEB400] The "Presentation" Layer

From: Dr. Syd Nicholson
The JavaScript is very controllable on the server. Depending
upon the situation the server can dynamically select or create
the required JavaScript and send this to the client.

It sounds like you're saying that the server can still be in
control of the application by dynamically generating and
downloading JavaScript instead of HTML. While that sounds
plausible in theory, can you point to an example?

The toolkits I've been looking at, download a lot of JavaScript.
But it's not dynamically generated. In the case of the RSDC
client that Chris Laffra built with Joe Pluta, I understand the
JavaScript was generated. But that was part of the "build"
process. Not part of the request-response cycle.

What I'm seeing on the horizon is more control moving to client
devices. Clients generating the UI, controlling application
flow, data validation, interfacing with local data stores, and
synchronizing with the server at entry points, and various points
thereafter.

If the JavaScript is static, it essentially eliminates the appeal
of middleware on the server (asp.net, net.data, cgi, j2ee, etc.).
And yet it's not quite like client-server of 80's and 90's. A
lot of vested interests are being shaken.

Walden mentioned Google Gears in his last message. So I read a little
about it. It sounds like a plug-in that enables data stores to be
persisted locally. What begins as a Web application, may be
taken off-line.

Nathan.

I've written some "dynamic javascript" in the past (of course, no server
control once it's generated). It was few and far between, but it was pretty
easy. Used for setting initial values of select boxes, filling a "valid
data" array for some type of validation process.. others I'm sure (I've
written a lot of pages!)

It has it's place. But, like Ajax, I like to find the right fit (or the
only place it will fit). I don't like to "force" any technology where I
feel it's not a good fit.

Bradley V. Stone
BVSTools - www.bvstools.com
eRPG SDK - www.erpgsdk.com