Re: Waiting for HTML+ for executing LOCAL (serverless) scripts??

wmperry@spry.com
Mon, 25 Jul 94 08:10:30 PDT

>I've read in a prereleased paper about differences of HTML and HTML+ that
>in HTML+ it will be (hopefully) possible to execute LOCAL SCRIPTS
>without needing a SERVER, so forms could be executed at your local site.
>
>Using CD-based LOCAL WEB's would be handier for some applications (having
>one or more links to THE REAL WEB (Transparency)) but if you use forms
>now in HTML you are in a dilemma (like me)!
>
>IS THERE ANY POSSIBILITY TO EXECUTE LOCAL SCRIPTS JUST NOW AT THIS TIME
>(even tricky solution!)?
>HOW?

No need to mess around with the mailcap files etc. If you use Lynx,
NCSA Mosaic/X, or the emacs-w3 browser, you can use the x-exec URL
syntax. (Emacs-w3 can use this by default, but you will have to patch
Lynx/Mosaic - try searching the WWWWorm for x-exec and you should find
the refs to the patches)

Basic syntax is

x-exec://progname/foo/bar/baz?blort

progname will be looked for in 'trusted' directories on your local
machine - no explicit paths are allowed. (So no x-exec://bin/rm/*)

The progname is executed the same way a CGI script is on an HTTP
server. Uses the same environment variables, etc. The script can return
either an HTTP/0.9 response, or a full HTTP/1.0 response.

I am not sure if the Lynx and Mosaic patches have been updated for
the new CGI spec, but emacs-w3 handles it correctly.

-Bill P.