[Demexp-dev] How to handle protocol modifications. Delegation.

[David MENTRE]

Hello Ketty,

2006/10/15, ketty . <address@hidden>:
> This modification would be incompatible with current version am i right?

Yep.

> But as for protocol additions that don't brake anything, are they a big deal
> too?

No, one can easily add new methods (if care is taken to use a
different method identification number).

> Should we try to gather as many protocol changes as we can when we are
> at it? Or would that be stupid?

I don't know:
* Should we create a new protocol version number, copy all the old
methods and add the new ones?
(or)
* Should we add a new protocol version number, just adding new
methods and modified one?

If I don't know the answer, I can at least list the objectives:
* keep the protocol clean, removing unecessary methods when no longer
used (think that the protocol could be published as an IETF RFC in the
future);

* don't try to keep at all cost protocol upward compatibility. I
consider that until we reach 1.0, we can break the protocol whenever
we want. That's said, as the software is already used a little (we
have running servers), one should take care to make such changes
carefully. ;-)

> Things i think is missing from the protocol:
> * Deletion of tags / questions / responses.
> * Delegation.

Don't say that! Frédéric is asking me to add that for years, day after day! :-D

More seriously, the issue in delegation is not much the protocol than
the way to handle delegation on the server. If you are interested, I
have given in the past an example that shows the issues in delegation.
See the link in the wiki:
 http://demexp.org/en/doku.php?id=delegation

Moreover, Jérémy DUBREIL (he should be on this list) is working on
security issue and has some ideas on delegation. I hope he could
explain to you his ideas.

Best wishes,
d.