Medium+ Scale Developments
[1/8] from: brett:codeconscious at: 9-Jan-2002 23:20
Hi people,
Comments please!
Some time ago I was working on a Lan dependent Multiuser client server
system. I and a colleague were asked to look into how it could be
re-developed to work on the Web/Net. We looked at the available technologies
(a somewhat generous term for what we saw) and decided that our highly
interactive/conversational style system should really only be done with Java
applets.
I was never very happy with that conclusion but it was basically a
consequence of very early validity checks and dependent lookup fields. If we
could repartition the user interaction/use-case conversation we might have
been able to use more
simpler technology - but we weren't that confident of doing so nor of
getting approval of later validity checks etc.
Well the question became moot when the company was bought out and the system
mothballed. A few years down the track now and a remote possibility exists
that this re-development may yet occur. The question though has been at the
back of my mind for a while.
My question is have any of you have thoughts about this type of scenario and
how/if Rebol would be relevent to it - especially considering a financial
system context? What are the architectural possibilities?
Just exploring ideas. Thoughts appreciated.
Brett.
[2/8] from: pwoodward:cncdsl at: 9-Jan-2002 9:44
Brett -
> My question is have any of you have thoughts about this type of scenario
and
> how/if Rebol would be relevent to it - especially considering a financial
> system context? What are the architectural possibilities?
The approach I might take with REBOL would be to develop a very light-weight
server side script - responsible for listening for chat users. In essence
all it would do is record that they are on-line, what their IP address is,
and get a public key from them. You could also have it do a basic password
challenge.
Then when a user starts a chat client - it would contact the server process
to indicate that they are on-line, and what their IP address is, along with
a public key. It would also request the list of other users who are online.
Then, when you select a user from the chat client - it could attempt to
contact them directly - but clients would exchange public keys, and generate
a session key. Then all communication can occur between the two clients,
securely.
- Porter
[3/8] from: greggirwin:mindspring at: 10-Jan-2002 12:45
Hi Brett,
<< Some time ago I was working on a Lan dependent Multiuser client server
system. I and a colleague were asked to look into how it could be
re-developed to work on the Web/Net...My question is have any of you have
thoughts about this type of scenario and
how/if Rebol would be relevent to it - especially considering a financial
system context? What are the architectural possibilities? >>
Lots of architectural possibilities. I designed, and built a large portion
of, a mortgage origination system which was used in LAN (teleservice)
environments, but also had about 2,000 laptop users across the nation that
could hook up to the system. It was a very "heavy" system and while they had
talked periodically about webifying it, I don't think they've made any steps
in that direction. Providing lots of rich functionality would have been a
*big* task.
I'm having to think on my feet now about a distributed system built with
REBOL. The prototype stages have gone amazingly well, using IOS and Rugby,
but planning how this is all going to scale up is heavy on my mind.
I think the IOS+Rugby model will work well, but it will take some time to
figure out what all the traps and pitfalls are. Things just seem too easy so
far. :)
--Gregg
[4/8] from: brett:codeconscious at: 12-Jan-2002 0:42
Hi Gregg,
> I think the IOS+Rugby model will work well, but it will take some time to
> figure out what all the traps and pitfalls are. Things just seem too easy
so
> far. :)
Good to hear. I'd like to hear how you go. I understand something of IOS's
concepts and something of Rugby's concepts, why both?
Brett.
[5/8] from: greggirwin:mindspring at: 11-Jan-2002 12:27
Hi Brett,
<< I'd like to hear how you go. I understand something of IOS's
concepts and something of Rugby's concepts, why both? >>
Well, first, I'm *very* new to IOS so I don't know the ins-and-outs of
architecting a system for it. In the current case, I had written a kind of
proxy
piece which we needed to access remotely and Rugby let me move that
to the server with a minimum of effort.
In the long term, I can see where someone might provide services via Rugby,
but not via an IOS/Express server. With Rugby being free, I can see that as
a definite possibility.
Eventually, I'll get up to speed on IOS and be able to design a complete
system from a position of non-ignorance. Right now, I was able to get a
prototype system up and running in a minimal amount of time, even from my
current position of ignorance, by using both technologies. :)
--Gregg
[6/8] from: chalz:earthlink at: 11-Jan-2002 22:47
Greetings. New to the list. Question: What's Rugby? Thanks.
--Charles
[7/8] from: jason:cunliffe:verizon at: 11-Jan-2002 23:34
> Greetings. New to the list. Question: What's Rugby? Thanks.
welcome!
Rugby is a request broker completely written in Rebol by Maarten Koopmans
http://www.rebolforces.com/~erebol/index.htm
{It does all things you can do with SOAP like technology, plus many more...
You can use it to build Internet services in an afternoon, or write
distributed applications such as file sharing, chatting, etc. Rugby will
help you to do this in an extremely short timeframe}
enjoy
./Jason
[8/8] from: chalz:earthlink at: 12-Jan-2002 0:07
> > Greetings. New to the list. Question: What's Rugby? Thanks.
>
> welcome!
Danke danke ;)
> Rugby is a request broker completely written in Rebol by Maarten Koopmans
> http://www.rebolforces.com/~erebol/index.htm
Err, a request broker? I'll have to do some research (no need for you to
waste yours and everyone else's time explaining it to me ;) I'll do some
searching.. Hmm..
> {It does all things you can do with SOAP like technology, plus many
more...
> You can use it to build Internet services in an afternoon, or write
> distributed applications such as file sharing, chatting, etc. Rugby will
> help you to do this in an extremely short timeframe}
SOAP? Oh, wow. I've been using REBOL in a totally different ball field
compared to everyone else, apparently. *laughs* Thanks for the info!
--Charles