[lug] off topic web Q

[D. Stimits]

rm at mamma.varadinet.de wrote:
> 
> On Thu, Feb 01, 2001 at 04:26:38PM -0700, D. Stimits wrote:
> > I'm trying to use cgi, and avoid javascript entirely, on a web site that
> > runs on SunOS/Sparc 80. The web server itself is a commercial server
> > that is very very close in design to Apache (but offers better virtual
> > domain and server farm support).
> 
> Please shre the name of that server. While i can imagine improvements
> in loadbalancing  / clustering for Apache i'd like to see how to top
> virtual domains.

The hosting company is:
http://www.your-site.com/

Which was recommended by someone here a long time ago. They use entire
Sun machines, not a shred of windows anywhere. The site that is in need
of some big changes (it's basically the same "stub" site it was
originally set up for, strictly to get some source code to some
developers...the software is being completely redesigned from legacy
code) is:
http://www.battlefieldlinux.com

Almost everything about it is like Apache, except that it is designed
for hosting services (it is the Zeus web server).

> 
> > Here is the question, which someone here might know. Does anyone know of
> > a cgi means to take a collapsible "+" symbol, such as from the tree of a
> > file browser with a collapsed directory tree, and convert it back and
> > forth with the uncollapsed/expanded "-" version, without javascript, and
> > without resending the entire page? I'm guessing this isn't possible
> > since it implies an active intelligence within the browser itself.
> 
> Well, it's pretty tough without resending the page, simply because after
> the browser renders your page ther's nothing your server can do. The
> request is answered on the HTTP level, you send your data (i.e. content-
> length amount of bytes). In real CGIs the server actually kill your
> CGI process and closes your connection to the browser (unless you take
> special care to stop that).
> Since all the fancy new extensions to HTML (like DHTML) are based on or
> implemented on/with JavaScript you're pretty much out of luck here.
> Of course there's allways the ubiquious Java Applet, but i don't think
> you'd be happy with this.

Probably I will give in and use javascript, but I absolutely hate the
idea. Testing it to work correctly, even for simple things, is a pain
with the different flavors of browsers (of which all are broken in some
way, or just different).

What I was thinking of was the possibility of more intelligent caching,
where I could instruct the cache to check for pieces of the page for
change or not, and send only the pieces. I'd read somewhere about the
possibility of more intelligent caching, but never could remember where
(or if it was just a wish list).

> 
> > Any
> > suggested reading or HOWTO's, etc, would be appreciated (preferably
> > something I can see on the web). Implementations can be in almost any
> > cgi compatible format, preferably C++, Python, Perl, or PHP (my weird
> > sense of esthetics prefers C++, followed by Python).
> 
> Ralf Mattes
> 
> P.S: <H1><BLINK>+</BLINK></H1>
> _______________________________________________
> Web Page:  http://lug.boulder.co.us
> Mailing List: http://lists.lug.boulder.co.us/mailman/listinfo/lug