Hi Natascha.
The technology desired under the Xojo hood would be HTML 5 websockets. If you read other web threads mentionting HTML 5 websockets now you know what’s being asked for
This is a loose but helpful description of understanding how Xojo web edition currently works :
Let’s say you’re hungry and you want a pizza so you call up Domino’s and you order a pizza.
The Domino’s guy takes your order over the phone and you both hang up.
Time passes and you don’t hear from the Domino’s guy so to find out if your pizza is ready you call Domino’s and ask :
You: <calling Domino’s> (ring
ring
ring!)
Domino’s : Hello?
You: Hi Domino’s is my pizza ready yet?
Domino’s dude: NO.
You: Bye then ( hang up ).
Time passes
You don’t hear from Mr. Domino’s about your pizza and you’re wondering if it’s ready now so you call again.
You: (calling Domino’s again) Hi, is my pizza ready ?
Dominos: Nope.
click
More time passes
You: Jesus man I’m starving! My pizza better be ready now!?! (dialing Domino’s)
You: Is MY PIZZA READY NOW?!
Domnios: Nope. Not yet.
You: Pffft! Whateverz! (hang up). LAME!
Again more time passes
. STILL no information from Domino’s.
You: This is crazy! I’m starving and this dude doesn’t even tell when my pizza is ready and I gotta keep calling him over and over otherwise I’ll never know when my pizza is ready!
You: (ring ring fricken’ ring!) IS MY PIZZA READY NOW!!?!
Domino’s :Your pizza? NO! Not ready yet and I’m SO busy answering all of these stupid phones for people asking me if their pizza is ready it’s slowing my pizza making down and annoying the crap out of me!
You: Ugh! (hang up). Grrrr.
Even MORE time passes, surely your fricken pizza is ready now!
So you call again and sadly, it’s not. Boo hoo hoo, you cry but the only thing you can do is to keep calling and asking if your pizza is ready until it’s actually ready
This ridiculous repetitive retardation of a protocol -constantly having to call Domino’s over and over to see if your pizza is ready is called polling. It’s what http clients in this case web browsers [in our example, you] used to have to do to the server (Mr. Domino’s) to find out if any new information was available for you from the server. It’s outdated technology and was a lame idea for the web wizards to implement. There’s a newer process called long polling which cuts down on the number of calls (polls) you have to make compared to polling but it’s still lame because it has a lot of overhead which isn’t good. Xojo’s web edition probably uses long polling. The more recent and finally smart solution the supposed web Gods came up with is called websockets. Coincidentally anyone that’s programmed with TCPsockets already knows this technique of keeping the connection alive, it’s pretty stanard stuff duh. Don’t know why it took the www web tards so long to figure it out? Probably because the scientific nerds who created the net didn’t visualize it to become what it is today. It was just static text based boring blah blah blah. Yes they very limited in their vision. Just like those Government employees that never correctly design freeways to properly accommodate population growth. Or the other fools we call Government that can’t figure out that Nuclear power is far too dangerous for simpleton humans to be playing with. Those idiots still haven’t stopped the Fukushima meltdown.What has it been? 3 years of melting down? Morons.
Back on topic :
With HTML 5’s websockets you simply contact the server once and it keeps you on the line (the connection stays connected) and the server gives you the information as soon as it’s ready. You do not have to constantly harass the server over and over wasting it’s resources and using more bandwidth slowing everything down.
The HTML 5 websocket version of ordering a Domino’s pizza :
You : Gee I’m hungry. I’ll call Domino’s and order a pizza (ring ring ring). Hi I’d like a yummy pizza please.
Domino’s : Oh? You want a large thick crust yummy pizza with extra cheese and a beer? OK. Got your order. I’m working on it. Stay on the phone and I’ll deliver your pizza to you the instant it’s done. Yay!
Of course the ‘pizza’ here are packets of data and the point is, there is no constant wasteful polling. Your data is delivered when it’s ready.
The end.
Using HTML 5’s websockets is much faster and far more efficient than polling, even long polling which I suspect Xojo is using.
If you search the web section of the forum you should see people asking for websockets. I don’t think many web developers will take Xojo’s web edition very seriously without them.
Xojo had tried to correctly implement websockets previousy but they goofed it and pulled them. I’m sure they’re aware they need to correctly implement websockets for most web developers to take Xojo web edition seriously. That means you can count on it coming in the future Marty!
Of course these guys are so busy who knows when it will happen but I’m hoping they take this very seriously and get it to us within a couple of months