modifiable HTML

Philip Trauring (philip@cs.brandeis.edu)
Mon, 10 Apr 95 21:07:07 EDT

>To implement this, the browser should have the capability to
>let the user add sections to the document, mark sections of
>the document for signature, sign, and send the document back to
>the web server for forwarding to the next party. This seems a
>little at odds with how the web works today.
>
>Probably less controversial would be the notion that the
>browser should be able to display the signatures, along with
>some graphical indication (color shading) of the scope of the
>signatures and/or hash values. Along with suitable indication
>of whether the signatures verified correctly.
>
>Since being able to create signatures at the browser would
>determine the usefulness of any proposed HTML syntax for
>signatures, it would be nice to first hear whether there
>are any plans to enable browsers to modify and return HTML
>documents, or whether HTML is only to be used from server to
>client.

I have to agree with Milton that it would be great to implement an
interactive element to HTML documents. I do, however, think this would
primarily fall under the responsibility of the browsers to implement an
HTML editor to add to current HTML files. I think the only change HTML
would have to undergo would be a way to tag files as modifiable. Perhaps:

<BODY mod=all> and <BODY mod=add>

where mod=all designates that the user can modify the entire entity and
mod=add designates that the user can add to the end off the entity. This
would still allow header and footer information like navigation bars to
remain unchanged. This simple addition would allow browser software to
implement a wide variety of features. The most obvious would be automatic
discussion areas(any file with mod=add would automatically be a discussion
area) and ways to comment on other documents so all comments are shown
below the actual document.

So, what do people think of this?

Philip Trauring

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Philip Trauring philip@cs.brandeis.edu
Brandeis University MB1001
P.O. Box 9110 "knowledge is my addiction,
Waltham, Ma 02254-9110 information is my drug."
(617) 736-5282 ['94/95]

WWW home page: http://www.cs.brandeis.edu/~philip/home.html
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