DAP Request: Feedback on Applicability and implementation plans for Network Service Discovery

Dear Web & TV Interest Group Chairs and members:

The Device APIs working group [1] has produced a "Network Service Discovery" draft [2] in which the Web & TV Interest Group [3] has shown interest [4].

"This specification defines a mechanism for an HTML document to discover and subsequently communicate with HTTP-based services advertised via common discovery protocols within the current network."

This allows a web page to discover and establish communication with services on a local network. The specification takes into account Zeroconf, SSDP and DIAL.  The specification does not define the application communications once the connection is established.

We are concerned that we will not have adequate implementer interest in this specification to justify progressing it further [5][6][7], and are thus wondering if the the Web & TV Interest Group, as a “customer” of
this work would be willing to work with us on obtaining implementers input and feedback on this specification. Without proper interest from implementers the Device APIs Working Group would have no other option than to stop work on it.

We are seeking feedback from the Web & TV Interest group and implementers to the following questions:

1. Does this specification address use cases and needs of concern to you? 

2. In particular, in light of the recent additional requirement of CORS [8] support from local network services, it is likely that this specification would only work with recently updated devices. Do you plan to deploy CORS support in your UPnP/DIAL/Zeroconf based devices?

3. Are you working on implementations of this specification? If so, have you determined whether these implementations are likely to find their way into a well-deployed browser?

5. Can you provide any assistance in determining implementers plans, and possibly work with implementers on providing input and feedback on the future of this specification?

Feedback you give us is important to DAP taking appropriate next steps and will be much appreciated. Please send any comment to the DAP public list (cc’d) , public-device-apis @ w3.org

Thanks

regards, Frederick

Frederick Hirsch, Nokia, @fjhirsch
Chair Device APIs Working Group

[1] http://www.w3.org/2009/dap/

[2] http://www.w3.org/TR/2014/WD-discovery-api-20140220/

[3] http://www.w3.org/2011/webtv/

[4] http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/public-device-apis/2011Jul/att-0098/minutes-2011-07-20.html#item07

[5] http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/public-device-apis/2014Mar/att-0024/minutes-2014-03-27.html#item08

[6] https://groups.google.com/a/chromium.org/forum/#!searchin/blink-dev/network$20service$20discovery/blink-dev/HT0KZKuTLxM/S3w-SdvjZfUJ

[7] https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=914579

[8] http://www.w3.org/TR/cors/

For tracker, this completes ACTION-687

Received on Wednesday, 9 April 2014 19:59:53 UTC