[Refdb-users] php, cgi, jsp and refdb?

[Bruce D'A. <da...@mu...>]

This is just a curious question for someone (me) not too up on web 
technologies:

The current RefDB web client uses CGI, which Markus and others have 
suggested is limited, PHP being preferred.  So my question: why?  What 
does PHP allow that CGI doesn't?

And what about JSP?

The question is prompted by the release of this free GUI front-end to 
Tomcat:

http://www.micromata.de/en/M_tec/schroedinger/index.html

While I'm at it, I also have a vague sense that the new Rendezvous 
networking protocol that Apple has adopted, and which will be (or maybe 
already has been) open sourced, might have some relevance to refdb:

http://developer.apple.com/macosx/rendezvous/

One of the pieces of sample code here is described as follows:

> This sample demonstrates how to use NSNetServices to advertise a 
> service using Rendezvous. When used in conjunction with the 
> PictureSharingBrowser sample code, PictureSharingBrowser clients will 
> be able to discover and view pictures being shared by a PictureSharing 
> server.

If I understand right, then, it ought to be possible for an institution 
to set up a refdb server that advertised itself via Rendezvous, and 
which any compatible device (desktop computer, wireless device, etc.) 
would b able to auto-discover, with zero configuration.

Thoughts?

Bruce