Re: [TCLUG:18319] "Web Architecture"

[Dave Sherohman <esper@usinternet.com>]

Nick.T.Reinking@supervalu.com said:
> In addition to opinions on where "web architecture" will be headed in five
> years, some ideas on what "web architecture" _actually is_ would be
> appreciated.

My first thought as I started reading your post was, "WTF is 'web
architecture'?"...

> Protocols (HTTP, NNTP, POP3, IMAP)

HTTP, definitely.  POP/IMAP, maybe - there are a lot of HTML frontends to
POP/IMAP servers.  NNTP is a _real_ stretch.  (Netscape and IE having
mail/news support doesn't make mail/news part of the web any more than a
newsreader with HTML support makes the web part of Usenet news.)

Speaking of which, HTML, PHP, ASP, etc. don't appear anywhere on your list.

Also, what about lower level protocols?  WAP has already been mentioned, but
there's also IPv4 and IPv6 (which should open up some interesting
possibilities).  I doubt that TCP would be much interest to your audience,
though.  And UDP's sigificance to the web is minimal as well, unless you want
to get into DNS or routing.

Then there are the unofficial extension protocols/languages - Macromedia
Flash, ActiveX, Java/JavaScript, etc.

> Server Systems (Web appliances, Vendors)

Proxies?  (Tell them about how easy it is to set up Junkbuster to filter out
banner ads and watch their expressions as they think of ad revenue
evaporating...)

> Communication Tools (Instant Messaging, e-mail)

These are really uses for the network, not tools used on it.  And, again,
they're not really part of (or even tied to) The Web.

Along these lines, though, don't forget integrated messaging.  (Read your
voicemail off a web page, listen to faxes on your cellphone, crap like that.)

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