Re: Fixing appcache: a proposal to get us started

> Your manifest file should be dynamically generated by your server, based
on what you know about the user's browser.
> Now you have one single manifest file which is easier for updates, +
server-side language comments so documentation is easy.
> The web is server + client sides. Trying to "fix" issues you have with
client technologies only (appcache, JavaScript, ...) will always be a bad
choice.

I would contest this point as now you're suggesting that the "right" thing
to do is to force everyone to maintain custom browser detection libraries
on their servers again in order to guess what the browser's capabilities
are.  As we know from much experience with this technique already, it is
brittle and must be constantly monitored and updated as new browser
versions are released.  Why not attempt to give the browser-side manifest
functionality the ability to "feature test" for file support instead? Then
the browsers can be the trusted source instead of everyone having to create
new divergent browser file support inference hacks.

Sincerely,
    James Greene



On Mon, Nov 25, 2013 at 9:30 AM, piranna@gmail.com <piranna@gmail.com>wrote:

> > To be available offline, the device has to hit a server first, then the
> appcache "magic" happens.
>
> Obviously.
>
>
> > No reason the server couldn't prepare / select what to send to the
> device: iOS won't support WebM anytime soon, there is no reason to
> constantly ask iOS device the same info again & again. That just makes no
> sense, and force devs to produce device/os specific files (manifest) anyway.
> >
> > And it's not AppCache job to do so. Its job is just make a web document
> available offline + make updates simple & easy.
> >
> I'm not talking about remove the servers functionality, I only
> disagree with your statement about using only client-side technologies
> is bad, giving the impression that servers are necesary. Not today,
> they are necesary for bootstraping and access content on a reference
> place, but we should remove the idea of a "centralized web" as far as
> possible. AppCache here is a good tool for this, but here the server
> is only neccesary to generate the custom manifest file, no more, and
> also probably this manifest could be generated directly on client-side
> (don't know if it could be done with today technologies, but at least
> with ServiceWorkers it will be possible, and using them probably the
> AppCache manifest becames useless in this case of use).
>
>
>
> --
> "Si quieres viajar alrededor del mundo y ser invitado a hablar en un
> monton de sitios diferentes, simplemente escribe un sistema operativo
> Unix."
> – Linus Tordvals, creador del sistema operativo Linux
>
>