Re: Federation protocols

Melvin Carvalho wrote:
>
>
>
> On 1 June 2013 18:13, Miles Fidelman <mfidelman@meetinghouse.net 
> <mailto:mfidelman@meetinghouse.net>> wrote:
>
>     Melvin Carvalho wrote:
>
>
>
>
>         On 1 June 2013 16:50, Miles Fidelman
>         <mfidelman@meetinghouse.net
>         <mailto:mfidelman@meetinghouse.net>
>         <mailto:mfidelman@meetinghouse.net
>         <mailto:mfidelman@meetinghouse.net>>> wrote:
>
>             Melvin Carvalho wrote:
>
>
>
>
>                 On 1 June 2013 14:54, Miles Fidelman
>                 <mfidelman@meetinghouse.net
>         <mailto:mfidelman@meetinghouse.net>
>                 <mailto:mfidelman@meetinghouse.net
>         <mailto:mfidelman@meetinghouse.net>>
>                 <mailto:mfidelman@meetinghouse.net
>         <mailto:mfidelman@meetinghouse.net>
>                 <mailto:mfidelman@meetinghouse.net
>         <mailto:mfidelman@meetinghouse.net>>>> wrote:
>
>                     Melvin Carvalho wrote:
>
>
>
>
>                         On 1 June 2013 03:49, Miles Fidelman
>                         <mfidelman@meetinghouse.net
>         <mailto:mfidelman@meetinghouse.net>
>                 <mailto:mfidelman@meetinghouse.net
>         <mailto:mfidelman@meetinghouse.net>>
>                         <mailto:mfidelman@meetinghouse.net
>         <mailto:mfidelman@meetinghouse.net>
>                 <mailto:mfidelman@meetinghouse.net
>         <mailto:mfidelman@meetinghouse.net>>>
>                         <mailto:mfidelman@meetinghouse.net
>         <mailto:mfidelman@meetinghouse.net>
>                 <mailto:mfidelman@meetinghouse.net
>         <mailto:mfidelman@meetinghouse.net>>
>
>                         <mailto:mfidelman@meetinghouse.net
>         <mailto:mfidelman@meetinghouse.net>
>                 <mailto:mfidelman@meetinghouse.net
>         <mailto:mfidelman@meetinghouse.net>>>>> wrote:
>
>                             Melvin Carvalho wrote:
>
>
>                                 We could indeed use SMTP for messaging
>         and it has
>                         advantages,
>                                 but it would be nice to get the web up
>         to be
>                 able to do
>                                 something as simple as sending messages
>                 between two
>                         parties
>                                 after more than 20 years.  We're not there
>                 yet, and if
>                         we can
>                                 even achieve that small step it's a
>         victory!
>
>
>                             Umm, why?
>
>                             Messaging is messaging.  The "web" is HTTP and
>                 hypertext -
>                             client-server computing.  Two different
>         things.
>
>                             And, by the way, there've been
>         server-based email
>                 systems
>                         for at
>                             least 60 years.
>
>
>                         Try taking two users at random on the FSW on
>         different
>                         networks.  Then try sending a message from
>         user 1 to
>                 user 2.
>                          In many cases there's no standard way to do it.
>
>
>                     Ummm.... SMTP, SMS?
>
>
>                 Sure what I mean is to translate that into the web.
>          ie that
>                 you have a sender address and receiver address with a
>         message
>                 body.  Major communication systems, SMS, email, telphone,
>                 postal service all can do this, but strangely the web (ie
>                 http) cant yet.  HTTP POST lets you send to an address
>         and a
>                 message body, but does NOT easily allow you to see who the
>                 sender is.
>
>
>             Might I point out that it really damages your credibility
>         if you
>             don't actually understand what different protocols do, and the
>             whole concept of layering.
>
>
>         Thanks for the feedback, I will try to be clearer, and am
>         always happy to improve my understanding.  Re credibility, I
>         wasnt sure I had any! :)
>
>
>             HTTP POST does NOT allow you to send to an address - it
>         allows you
>             to do a transaction between a client and a server (a specific
>             machine, or something that masquerades as a single
>         machine).  Any
>             messaging going on is layered on top of (or below) HTTP -
>         as in
>             posting an email message to a mail server via HTTP, instead of
>             SMTP -- when you use webmail, all you're doing is layering
>         a GUI
>             on top of some messaging infrastructure.
>
>
>         I see you point, but my understanding is that HTTP POST allows
>         both headers and a payload.  The payload could in theory be
>         used to send a message.  However, to add the address of the
>         sending party is problematic, meaning that the receiver doesnt
>         always easily know who the message was from.  There are a
>         number of headers that could be used or this such as:
>
>         "From" : however this tends to be email only as it was
>         inherited from the email paradigm
>
>         "User-Agent" : however this is used to identify the browser,
>         rather than, the user.  Webmasters may note that spiders such
>         as google and baidu actually stuff the http address of the
>         spider into this field as part of a csv, though this is not idea.
>
>         To my knowledge, there's no top level header in the HTTP spec
>         that allows you to identify an HTTP user.  We could make one,
>         but that would be something new, that requires some text, and
>         some consensus.
>
>
>     Umm... HTTP authentication and/or SSL client side certificates.
>
>
> Re HTTP Auth, are you saying it supported a userid that can be an http 
> profile?  If so, I'd love to know more...
>
Read the friggin spec! (hint: google "http authentication")

And that still begs the question: if you HAVE a userid, and you post a 
mail message in an HTTP envelope, you still need an addressing scheme 
and a mail distribution infrastructure.

-- 
In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice.
In practice, there is.   .... Yogi Berra

Received on Saturday, 1 June 2013 16:34:52 UTC