Subject: RE: IPP> What is it we really need?

From: Babak Jahromi <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 5 Jan 1997 10:46:24 -0800

>
>IMHO, this problem has been somwehat exacerbated by the trend to put
>HTTP servers inside network printers.  Hence, the tendancy to say
>"Let's do everything on top of HTTP", which naturally leads to
>exploring the use of HTML and MIME as data encoding techniques, etc.

Putting HTTP servers inside printers is not the only reason people like
to stick with HTTP. As was brought up before, it is also the universal
availability of "stock" Internet software that talk HTTP, that makes the
use of HTTP a natural approach. Remember easy to do ideas get done
first!

>Babak

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From: Keith Moore <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 05 Jan 1997 15:40:12 -0500

> use of HTTP a natural approach. Remember easy to do ideas get done

"stock" Internet software like web browsers, web servers, and web client
libraries don't seem particularly helpful for a printing application.

Yes, it's easy to prototype new protocols using http, but when you try to
productize those prototypes, you may find there are more features in 
http 1.1 than you wanted to support in your product.  

I hate to see products and protocols saddled with baggage that nobody needs.

(or are there some other kinds of "stock Internet software" that I'm
not thinking about?)

Keith

p.s. Several people have expressed interest in an "http-lite" protocol,
that is, a generic http-like, text-over-tcp, request-response protocol 
which isn't adapted for any one particular application, but can 
take adavntage of standard url types, security mechanisms, etc.