usenet forums in www style

Bob Massey (bobob@ix.netcom.com)
Sun, 2 Apr 1995 14:13:34 -0700

I would like WWW to have the easy interchange
of 'news' forums. 'Forms' is being developed but
it is a long way from this. 'annotations' are in www style.
There seems to be a simple & very flexible system that
allows participants to make replies in a WWW way yet make
some use of 'forms':
1. Let client select any 'space' in the servers www document.
2. The client's www browser may then respond with 2 'form' areas:
one for a short reply or comment; another for a URL to link
to the clients HTML for a full multimedia reply.
3. If the server's HTML document contains explicit permission, i.e.,
<save replies 50,80> allowing up to 50 replies of one line each;
then these 'minimized' LINKS are stored in the servers file &
indicated by '_' or tinted space so the original document's
appearance is minimally changed.
4. OR a LINK at the space in server's file could be made to a separate
HTML file also on the server's system that includes all these reply
links.
For the client, here no new display change need be made to
their www browser.
Please see my example: http://www.csn.net/~pidmass at item
((4)). This is an 'inventor's virtual partnership'. Free inventions.
e-mail bobob@ix.netcom.com
I would greatly appreciate any links to it.
5. The replying or annotating client's browser needs to be modified to
request link information when client selects a space & then store this
information in the
server's system so it is available to subsequent browsers possibly
unmodified.
6. Some of the replying or annotating client's browsers and servers
could be further expanded to aid the client by allowing one to
immediately enter complete html documents with editing and testing menu
options and be simply stored in the clients server with menu options for
automatically supplying a URL in the annotation.
7. Non-replying clients may not need any changes to view all www replies
if system 4 above is used as my example shows.
8. For security, the server may keep a program for this 'space linking'
which the client's browser may call so www replies are done right. The
client's browser could simply request this 'space linker' program when
the client selects a space in the server's HTML document then the
client's browser lets
this 'space linker' request the link information from the client &
make the right changes in the server's HTML document.
9. Additional replies at the same space may be an option in the client's
browser.
When a client selects '_' a choice is given: follow the link or add a
reply.
If one chooses 'add a reply' then the server's 'space linker' is so
called to append another reply.