Re: Why gateways?

I believe the original question was:
   ... and why are there gateways to servers but not gateways to clients?


On Wed, 25 Feb 1998 Mike_Spreitzer.PARC@xerox.com wrote:

> I'm asking why the thing that initiates communication has to do so over HTTP,
> whereas the thing that ultimately serves it does not have to do so over HTTP.

The point of a gateway is that it allows an HTTP client to access a 
non-HTTP service.

THis is the HTTP protocol. HTTP clients initiate the connection. That
a program which functions as an HTTP client also acts as the server for
another protocol would seem to be outside of the scope of the HTTP
protocol.  Likewise a client which uses some other protocol to a
gateway which then issues HTTP requests on its behalf. This specification
deals with what the HTTP protocol is expected to do and the result of
using a gateway from the HTTP perspective.

Dave Morris