Re: [MacPerl] Plug-ins / Applets

[Angus McIntyre <angus@pobox.com>]

At 5:14 pm +0200 24.04.97, Raymond Lauzzana wrote:
>First, its too bad that that's all that droplets are.

They're pretty useful; they provide a Mac-friendly equivalent of the UNIX
command line (the only difference being the difficulty of passing
command-line switches or ordering the inputs).

> ... Ive been able to run Perl as a 'helper application' from
>Netscape. So, 'droplets' should work as 'applications' linked by 'MIME'
>definitions. The problem is that the output will be routed to a fresh
>window rather than back to your Browser. Since the output is 'html', this
>is quite the solution.

You could write out the HTML and get MacPerl to tell NetScape to read the
file using a GetURL event. This won't, however, get the output into a
defined region on the browser page, if that's what you're after.

>Lastly, Java doesn't do the trick for writing the type of 'PLUG-INS',
>'API's or 'applets' that I need and Javascript is worse. THere is no
>file I/O capabilities defined in Java or Javascript. Yah, Yah, I know
>all about the security issues! But, from my perspective, if the client
>has chosen to use your application then the client has made the decision
>to permit you to write files.

If you're delivering your applets as 'shrink-wrapped' software through some
other channel, yes. I think Java is right to refuse file i/o to applets
downloaded off the net.

Future versions of Java will allow trusted applications - and perhaps
applets? - out of the secure sandbox. It may be possible to distribute
applets even over the net, signed by a digital key and verifiable through
certification services. These trusted and verified applets could then be
allowed to access the local filesystem. (Personally, I'd rather put pit
vipers down my trousers, but I guess it's a matter of individual choice).

>Well, maybe I need to hack a little browser of my own to make this
>application work. Are any of the sources to Mosaic still floating around?

Developing a browser is a *lot* of work. If you're prepared to go that far,
why not write your own plug-ins using C or C++ (with possible interfacing
to MacPerl via AppleEvents if you need Perl's text-munging capabilities).
It'll be shorter and simpler, and there's nothing to stop plug-ins doing
local file i/o (as the recent ShockWave debacle demonstrated).

	A

--
angus@pobox.com                             http://pobox.com/~angus

"Every normal man must be tempted, at times, to spit on his hands,
 hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats." [H.L. Mencken]



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