Panel at March IETF on "web applications"

Updated ACTION-500 with current description of IAB panel
http://www.w3.org/2001/tag/group/track/actions/500

I took the liberty of editing the name of "Product 9"

http://www.w3.org/2001/tag/group/track/products/9

to be

"Coordination with IAB/IETF on architecture of web applications"

I.e., the coordination is the product, which should influence
(and maybe help with) ACTION-499.



Larry
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>From Jon Peterson, current draft of panel topic:

Advancements in the design of web browsers have introduced fundamental
changes to the architecture of application protocols. The widespread
availability and growing sophistication of JavaScript interpreters in
browsers enables web servers to push to browsers all of the application
logic required to implement a client-server protocol. Consequently, many
client-server applications that once required an installed client on a
host computer now can rely simply on a modern browser to act as a client
for the purposes of a particular application. For example, where once
email clients required a custom application to access an inbox,
increasingly a web browser can serve this purpose as well as the
purpose-built applications of the past. Similarly, HTTP with the
assistance of JavaScript can subsume the functions performed by the
protocols like POP3 and IMAP. The need for Internet standards beyond
HTTP to implement an email inbox application consequently diminishes -
why author standards and worry about interoperability of clients and
servers when the server can simply push to the client all the code it
needs to be interoperable?

Many client-server applications on the Internet could potential migrate
to this post-standardization environment. In this environment, there is
of course still a role for the IETF to play: existing working groups
like HyBi and OAuth are examples of areas where standards work is still
required to support this application development paradigm. Collectively,
we need to identify areas where the standardization is unlikely to be
relevant in the future, and focus our efforts on those areas where our
application designs will remain impactful.