WWW: Beyond the Basics

19. World Wide Web and Object Technology

19.1. Introduction

There are two important issues to notice about existing World Wide Web (WWW, Web) technology. First of all, the Web is essentially a huge distributed system, but more like a distributed file system rather than a distributed computing system. Although client/server applications based on the Common Gateway Interface (CGI) protocol and Java exist on the Web, for the most part the Web still remains document-centric. Secondly, Web browsers are fast becoming the universal front-end. We have started expecting more and more capabilities from our favorite browsers. We want to be able to buy merchandise through the browser, listen to music, and even watch movies through the same magical browser. In short, we want to perform all our computing tasks through our browser. Isn't it true that the browser is one of the first applications we launch when we start a session with the computer?

It is possible to have commerce on the Web, have large scale digital libraries that store multimedia information and access them from the Web, and much more. Making all this possible, requires a paradigm shift, a technological leap, in the way we program distributed client/server applications in general, and applications for the Web in particular. In this chapter we will take a look at some key technologies that can turn the WWW into a more intelligent medium for communication and information dissemination and convert static Web documents into active compound documents with rich multimedia content. First of all, let's review the current status of Web technology.

19.1.1. Current status of WWW technology

When we talk about the Web today, we tend to glorify the benefits of Web technology and overlook the many shortcomings that can put a damper on the growth of the Web itself. Along with the increase in the popularity of the Web, the list of limitations imposed by the current Web technology is also on the rise. The following lists outline some of the major capabilities and shortcomings of the current Web technology:

WWW Positives


WWW Limitations

19.1.2. Identifying and defining the key technologies

Most of the limitations of existing WWW technology mentioned in the previous section can be overcome by employing distributed objects and component technology for building Web-based applications. So, what are distributed objects and components, and how do they differ from normal software 'objects'? Let's try to define and differentiate these.

Now, we can identify the two key technologies for overcoming the current shortcomings of the Web: Distributed Object Architectures and Compound Document Frameworks. Distributed object architectures help in building client/server applications using 'distributed objects' and provide services such as security, transactions, state management, licensing, etc. Compound document frameworks act as containers in which heterogeneous 'components' can be placed to build customized applications. They can provide a front-end to applications that use distributed objects. Orfali, 1996 is an excellent reference on Distributed object architectures and Compound document frameworks.

Before we get into the nitty-gritties of these technologies, let's take a short look at what they can do for the World Wide Web.

19.1.3. What can object technology do for the WWW?

Distributed objects and components can enhance the capabilities of the WWW in a lot of ways. Following are some of the benefits object technology can provide to the WWW:

In the following sections we will take a look at some existing Distributed object architectures and Compound document frameworks and try to compare and contrast them. We will also see how these can be integrated into a uniform whole to benefit the WWW and look at the current developments taking place in this field.

 
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Copyright © 1996 Ashish B. Shah, All Rights Reserved.

Ashish B. Shah <ashish@csgrad.cs.vt.edu>
Last modified: Tue Oct 29 11:59:59 1996