[e-lang] Redirectory prototype

[Tyler Close]

As a next step in moving E from VatTP to HTTPSY, I've put a prototype
redirectory online. You can access it at:

http://www.yurl.net/

A redirectory is a directory of redirections. You do a GET on a URL
and get back a redirect to one or more other URLs. The owner of the
redirect can then update the redirect to point to his current
location. The redirectory is a generalization of the VLS.

If you know how to read a web-calculus API, you can get the
specification for the programmatic interface to a redirectory at:

http://yurl.org/

You can test your understanding of the API against the running
redirectory by doing a view source on any page.

Currently, I've tested the redirectory with Firefox 1.0 and Internet
Explorer 6.0. The IE display of a 409 error is a little wonky, but
otherwise, the redirectory seems to work fine in both browsers.

I suspect that a modifiable redirect is a primitive unit of
functionality that is likely to be useful in many different contexts.
When designing an API, I like to have at least a couple of use
scenarios in mind. I am hoping we can brainstorm some other uses for
the redirectory.

The current API was designed with the following constraints:

1. Creation and initialization of a redirect must be expressible in a
single (possibly pipelined) round-trip (over an established HTTP
connection). Similarly for update of a redirect.
2. A programmatic redirectory client can be written using only HTTP
expertise (ie: no web-calculus expertise required).
3. There must be a useable HTML rendering of the protocol, for use in
current WWW browsers.
4. The authority to update a redirect can be closely held or delegated.
5. The authority to create a redirect can be closely held, or delegated.

Any others?

Tyler

--
The web-calculus is the union of REST and capability-based security:
http://www.waterken.com/dev/Web/