Re: libwww

>
> On Tue, 12 Jul 1994, Henrik Frystyk Nielsen wrote:
> > Thanks for joining me into the discussion! My comments (and some from
> > Tim) are merged into the text below:
> > 
> >	...
> > 
> > We are preparing a release ot the World-Wide Web Common Code Library at
> > the end of this week. The version number will be 3.0pre1 as this
> > release contains two new importans features. First, as Phillip has
> > indicated, encryption/decryption functionality has been added, and
> > secondly the HTTP client has been rewritten so that it now has a
> > interruptable, multithreaded I/O interface. Even though FTP and Gopher
> > are fully prepared for multithreaded functionality, HTTP is the most
> > important and therefore has highest priority.
> 
> Timely....  I'm preparing for the merger and rewrite of the Lynxs.  Tell 
> me, if I don't want the multi-threaded stuff in the library, is it easily 
> turned off?  I'd look myself but I'm busy fixing Lynx 2-3.  Lynx and 
> DosLynx each use their own versions of 2.14.
>
> > At the same time the current version 2.16pre2 will be upgrated to
> > version 2.17. The reason for this is that this version is quite stable
> > and is the basis of the CERN Proxy Server. However, the plan is to
> > merge the multithreaded HTTP (3.0pre1) client and the single threaded
> > HTTP Client (2.17) into one version so that the next major release
> > contains the possibility of both a single threaded and a multi threaded
> > HTTP client.
> 
> Are you saying that if I don't want multi-threaded, I'll have to opt to 
> use 2.17 for the time being?  I don't want multi-threaded since I am 
> supporting DOS and VMS users.  How easy is the consolidation of the 
> libraries going to be?  Am I going to have a lot of mods if I use 2.17 
> and eventually want to use 3.* since it will then be the library you will 
> be continually updating?

The multi threaded HTTP client has been made `by hand' - that is it
uses one stack and no special thread package. This makes it possible to
use - even on a PC ;-) Take a look at the specification at

http://info.cern.ch/hypertext/WWW/Library/User/Multithread/multithread.html

> 
> > For more information on the current state of the library can be found at
> > 
> > 	http://info.cern.ch/hypertext/WWW/Library/Status.html
> > 
> > > My understanding is that Lynx and DOSLynx provide 2 more totally different
> > > versions
> > > of libwww.
> > > 
> > 
> > The Lynx version of the library is very close to the CERN version. The
> > basic structure is the same, but Lou Montulli has added a lot af fancy
> > features that not all are implemented in the CERN code. DOSlynx uses a
> > completely other library - I think it is written in C++...
> 
> Hehe.  Don't be so sure.  DosLynx uses a mostly unmodified 2.14 with the 
> usual massaging; the rest of it is C++, including the old GridText 
> functions, callable by C functions via the 
> 
> extern "C"	{
> 	<your c++ code>
> };
>
> which turns off the c++ name mangling of identifiers;  global variables 
> don't fall under this name mangling so you can use them anywhere (in DOS 
> anyhow).

Oh - this is new to me, but it sounds good!

****

I have also prepared some other information on the current state of the
Common Code Library. Please take a look at

http://info.cern.ch/hypertext/WWW/Library/User/Features/Implementation.html

for more information. Comments and ideas are very welcome!

I hope to have a draft ready tomorrow about a general PUT and POST
implementation that combines News, Mail and HTTP using the same
scheme.

-- cheers --

Henrik Frystyk

Received on Tuesday, 12 July 1994 20:48:21 UTC