[cap-talk] Potting the web-calculus in a paragraph

[Sandro Magi]

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Ka-Ping Yee wrote:
> On Sun, 4 Dec 2005, Ian G wrote:
> 
>>Tyler Close wrote:
>>
>>>The web-calculus is an interface model describing how web sites can
>>>securely interact. Interfaces are composed from two structural
>>>elements: web pages and cap URLs. A cap URL is a URL that contains an
>>>unguessable secret and is only ever used over SSL. There are only two
>>>operations for manipulating this interface: GET and POST. A GET
>>>operation fetches the web page currently referred to by a cap URL. A
>>>POST operation consumes a list of arguments, each of which is either a
>>>web page or a cap URL, and returns a single output argument, which
>>>again is either a web page or a cap URL.
>>
>>OK.  It sounds a little like REST.
>>
>>My most immediate question then is - what has
>>that got to do with calculus?
> 
> 
> Nothing, really.  "Web-calculus" is just a name designed to scare ordinary
> folks away from what is actually a very good and simple idea. ;)

Like most technical terms really.

Calculus  (Math.) A method of computation; any process of reasoning
      by the use of symbols; any branch of mathematics that may
      involve calculation.
      [1913 Webster]

 Calculus of functions, that branch of mathematics which
      treats of the forms of functions that shall satisfy given
      conditions.

 Calculus of operations, that branch of mathematical logic
      that treats of all operations that satisfy given
      conditions.

Calculus (dictionary.com)
 3.b. A method of analysis or calculation using a special symbolic notation.

What most people think of as "calculus" is really "differential and
integral calculus" and nothing to do with other "calculii" (?),
including those of lambda. ;-)

Sandro
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