From: Ray Cromwell <rjc@clark.net>
Date: Thu, 20 Jul 95 09:13:06 PDT
To: perry@imsi.com
Subject: Re: Netscape the Big Win
In-Reply-To: <9507200747.AA15208@snark.imsi.com>
Message-ID: <199507201612.MAA11998@clark.net>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain



Perry writes: 
> > The relevance for Cypherpunks interested in writing code is that, in my
> > carefully considered opinion, writing for Netscape and other Web browsers
> > is the Big Win. Even over Windows (except Windows browsers, of course).
> 
> Netscape is a closed system. You can't write code for it unless you
> work for Netscape.
> 
> Perry

  I concur with everything you said Perry. However, it may be possible to
write code "for netscape". If their NSAPI (control the browser remotely
via message/event passing) allows full control, you could probably hook
into the crypto functions. If not, you could always generate forms and
html pages on the fly with the data you want to send, and force the
browser to submit them. If the other end has an SHTTP/SSL enabled server,
it will be sent encrypted. It's a yucky solution. If Netscape incorporates
*full* hotjava capability (like defining new protocol handlers such as
SECURE://), then that would be much better. I have some doubts that Netscape
will implement all the Hotjava functionality when they incorporate Java 
because it would allow people to change the look-and-feel (and functionality)
of the browser too much, and also because they would have to softcode
(in java), a lot of the functionality they have hardcoded right now.

  Browsers are beginning to become like emacs. Virtual operating systems
unto themselves.


-Ray