> Date:    Wed, 9 Jun 1999 00:14:52 +0100
> From:    Nic Ferrier <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> Subject: Re: Http Basic Re-Authentication
...
> I would like to know what you've got agsinst URL re-writing.
>
> It seems perfectly acceptable to me (depending on implementation).

We use a template based system where the URLs are in a template file. Our original 
design called for
URL rewriting specifically for sessions. We implemented it but never used it (we 
recently removed
the code).

So here are a few things that I dont like about rewriting
1. For templates, it is a major hit. You have to reparse the page before sending it 
out to find all
the URLs to be rewritten. You also need some kind of syntax to indicate URLs that 
should not be
rewritten (offsite)

(This is the only real issue for us, but I will continue with why I dont like it to 
begin with. I
will set aside for a moment the notion that generating HTML from code is pure evil.)

2. URL rewriting requires religion. Every URL must be rewritten and formatted. Forget 
one and poof.

3. URL rewriting must be done server wide. One servlet, one static page that does not 
do URL
rewriting and poof.

4. Offsite visits and linked returns...and poof

For some limited circumstances URL rewriting might work - it probably does. But for my 
taste there
are simply too many places where it fails. One might be able to fix the programming, 
but the other
problems dont seem to be fixable.

I think these are issues that others need to be aware of as they choose this path. I 
think URL
rewriting was included from the days gone past when Cookies were viewed as evil. 
Sessions are
properly implemented to use lite cookies so they pose no danger and this is a good 
thing. So you can
usually convince a user base to use cookies. But there are those that insist that 
cookies are evil
and need URL rewriting.

...Duane

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