Mark Baker comments on how continuation-based modal web applications fit the REST style...
"This is how most web applications work.". Actually, it isn't. Most Web applications are stateless. Of those that aren't, the vast majority are only stateful for authentication purposes.Here's how I've started to view the relationship of the modal web app style and the REST style:
- Work-in-pogress interactions seem to be programmed AJAX-style, GOTO-style, Modal-style, or "richer-client" style.
- Modal web applications simplify programming controllers for work-in-progress over HTTP.
- Continuation-based interactions are not necessarily RESTful.
- As work-in-progress is "published" those pieces of work become resources with various representations, etc.
- Publishing (perhaps partially as a "proposal") completed work as resources can be RESTful.
- Accessing (perhaps partially) completed work as resources can be RESTful.
3 comments:
Yes, totally agreed. I wasn't disputing that there was a need in some cases for stateful interactions - voice browsing comes to mind - I was just saying that the Web is currently largely stateless.
Where would you see Seaside with respect to the criteria you listed aboove.
Seaside is a modal web server. I don't think it is trying to be RESTful. Rather it is trying to simplify and increase the end usability of HTTP-based interactions with web browsers.
I think the result of a Seaside transaction could be published to a RESTful web server, e.g. the one that is hosting Seaside or the Apache server next door.
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