# Re: [Dienst, A Protocol for a Distributed Digital Document Library]

Chris Weider (clw@mocha.bunyip.com)
Thu, 11 Aug 94 19:21:31 -0400

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    Date: Thu, 11 Aug 94 19:21:31 -0400

    From: Chris Weider <clw@mocha.bunyip.com>

    Message-Id: <9408112321.AA04990@mocha.bunyip.com>

    To: tcemail!FisherM@is3.indy.tce.com, uri@bunyip.com

    Subject: Re: [Dienst, A Protocol for a Distributed Digital Document  Library]

Mark:
You say that:

> I see WWW as either the overall architecture or as the "glue" that joins
> other architectures together (which may be saying the same thing). With WWW
> and HTML you achieve a uniform UI over many different "schemes" (http,
> gopher, ftp, wais, etc.). WWW and HTML provide the capability for a
> universal Internet client -- something we will need at Thomson, as our
> Internet user community will be mainly engineers who want to do their jobs
> (design TVs) rather than fiddle with the differing command interfaces for
> each Internet protocol.

I think that this is mistaking the train for the train/track combination.
One of the big reasons why the IETF is pushing the use of URLs and URNs
is that these allow a uniform 'api', if you will, that *any* information
tool can use. As Peter Deutsch and I pointed out, these identifiers
provide a defacto integration of information services, always assuming
the URL client library can handle all the schemes.

The fact that Tim and company invented URLs, and used them widely in
the Web, is a good thing. But they have much broader applications.

> ======================================================================
> Mark Fisher Thomson Consumer Electronics
> fisherm@tcemail.indy.tce.com Indianapolis, IN

Chris Weider
Bunyip Information Systems, Inc.
~v

> "Just as you should not underestimate the bandwidth of a station wagon
> traveling 65 mph filled with 8mm tapes, you should not overestimate
> the bandwidth of FTP by mail."

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