What's The Verdict, Web or Not?

[Brian Yennie]

Bill, Richard, et al,

I won't touch the "don't need it debate" with a ten foot pole at this 
point. Personally, I don't need it and would prefer to use any of the 
other fine tools for browser-based content, HOWEVER, I see no problem 
with anyone else salivating over a Rev plugin. Heck, I'd probably find 
some use for it if there was one.

What I wanted to comment on is:

> That is fine, but don't dismiss it on spurious "technical" grounds, 
> because
> there really aren't any. (Or at least not any more than any other 
> comparable
> plug-in.)

It's not spurious. There's history here. Roadster (Supercard web 
plugin) did an excellent job of sucking resources and falling on it's 
face with a company similarly equipped to RunRev (i.e., small). And 
Roadster was a significantly smaller technical feat, because it only 
ran on one platform.

Revolution is hugely intertwined with OS-specific calls, file system 
access, multiple windows and a ton of other stuff that just doesn't fit 
in a browser window.

I'm not saying it's impossible. Of course it's not. But raising 
technical objections is quite sound here. I've written externals for 
Revolution, compiled and modified Mozilla from the source, am familiar 
with the browser plugin API -- and I can barely imagine trying to fit 
Revolution in there. It's a much taller task than any plugin I know of. 
There ARE technical reasons why you don't see entire RAD environments 
running inside browsers. And no, Flash is not a RAD tool.

Anyway, perhaps we can agree - there are more than spurious technical 
hurdles, but some of us think they would be worth it (even though I do 
not).

- Brian