Re: [hybi] Reliable message delivery (was Re: Technical feedback.)

[Ian Hickson <[e-mail]>]

On Wed, 3 Feb 2010, Graham Klyne wrote:
> Ian Hickson wrote:
> > The server and the client are typically written by the same person.
> 
> If this is the basis on which the protocol is being specified, I don't
> understand why it's being done in a standards body.

So that the platform on top of which the client is written can be 
interoperably implemented such that it is possible for the clients to run 
on any implementation of the platform interoperably.

To clarify the terminology, from the perspective of the subprotocol 
running on Web Sockets, the platform is the browser with the Web Socket 
API, and the client is the JS code invoking the API, and implementing the 
client part of the subprotocol. The server implements both the Web Socket 
protocol and the subprotocol running over it.

The subprotocol is like HTTP, IRC, FTP, etc; Web Sockets is like TCP, and 
the platform is like the OS's network stack. Except everything is moved up 
one level.

HTH,
-- 
Ian Hickson               U+1047E                )\._.,--....,'``.    fL
http://ln.hixie.ch/       U+263A                /,   _.. \   _\  ;`._ ,.
Things that are impossible just take longer.   `._.-(,_..'--(,_..'`-.;.'