Actually javascript can especially on windows and even more especially if
you have activeX controls enabled; access the underlying OS to write and
read files etc. This is more of a problem for win95/win98 than for >win2k
but a lot of people still use win95 (i work at an ISP where more than 50%
of the support calls are for win95)
As far as cookies... I have to agree with you that people are being silly
by disabling them completely. But the privacy and tracking issues are real
and of course if some developer is insane enough to actually store *data*
in cookies (rather than just a reference to data) then you do get
problems.
The problems of implementing a stateful protocol over a stateless one are
not going to go away but I do think there are better solutions than
cookies.
Three different directions toward a solution:
1. implement applications via a shell interface (telnet, ssh)
pros: old_school, most platforms support telnet at least
cons: This is an ugly hack and a big step backwards not mention
unsecure
2. an XML-RPC or SOAP style protocol that hooks into the next generation
of client browsers (IE6,Mozilla)
pros: it's going to be done anyway
cons: reliving the browser wars :p
3. Yet another internet Standard
pros: address all issues
cons: Yeah right!
At this point it seems like 2 might be an option for some things but
the whole mess of competing standards and vendor-specific blech that
we've been living with since '95 is about to rise from the swamp again.
Sorry for the extra long post, I didn't realize that I had this much to
say on the issue. ;-)
http://www.efn.org/~laprice ( Community, Cooperation, Consensus
http://www.opn.org ( Openness to serendipity, make mistakes
http://www.efn.org/~laprice/poems ( but learn from them.(carpe fructus ludi)
http://allie.office.efn.org/phpwiki/index.php?OregonPublicNetworking
_______________________________________________
Webware-discuss mailing list
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/webware-discuss
