SPUG: Using HTML as GUI

Robert S yrob at mail.crpower.com
Fri Jul 25 00:55:00 CDT 2003


No difference.  It would be using a CGI/PHP/etc script accessed through a 
browser.  Sorry that I didn't clarify it.  It's just that I think users would 
prefer to have something they can run locally without worrying about the 
security concerns and configurations of a web server.  Why open it up to the 
outside world if you don't have to?  Since it runs locally, then the user can 
use their own user and group privileges rather than "nobody".  I know sticky 
bits and wrappers can be used, but what average user wants to deal with those 
complicated issues and still worry about related security concerns?

Another thing that I should have included was my preference for having an 
actual script server as a compiled executable rather running PERL through 
PERL.  Plain and simple, compiled programs run faster.  Executables can be 
designed to efficiently run as daemons in order to handle more than one task 
at a time.

I'd like to stress that simplicity would be a priority since many of the end 
users of the scripts could very likely be people not familiar with script 
writing, installing and configuration, and command line utilities.  A 
familiar web interface (GUI) is something that they would prefer.  So this 
daemon should be designed to easily install and configure to begin with.

Robert Seaborn

From: Brian Hatch <spug at ifokr.org>
Date: Thursday 24 July 2003 21:54
To: Robert S <yrob at mail.crpower.com>
Subject: Re: SPUG: Using HTML as GUI

> > About a month ago, I thought of an idea of running a local script-server,
> > as opposed to a web server.  The idea behind it is sort of what you are
> > describing here.
>
> Explain quickly, however, how this differs from a CGI being accessed
> by a web browser.  Since you're outputting to HTML, the browser is
> required, so what does this offer that a CGI/PHP/etc enabled server
> doesn't?
>
>
> Not critizing, just trying to understand.
>
>
> --
> Brian Hatch                  "WindowsME is what you would get if
>    Systems and                you aborted Windows98 and Windows
>    Security Engineer          For Workgroups' Love Child and then
> http://www.ifokr.org/bri/     dropped it on it's head multiple times
>                               as a metaphorical baby." -Alex B.
> Every message PGP signed



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