Re: [GNUnet-developers] GSoC

[Martin Schanzenbach]

Hi,

As an example to see what I mean, please see https://guides.emberjs.com
/v2.0.0/models/ section "Convention Over Configuration with JSON API".
When you read this you can also do a s/emberjs/gnunet/ and you should
understand my thinking. (Please see emberjs as a representative example
of today's web development frameworks, not as my motivation)

The point is you do not need to learn the data model, request/response
conventions, error handling etc if you have standard. It means you
don't have to write code you do not care about because chances are
somebody already did. Developers care about the GNUnet API and they
need to learn it. But they dont't care about what fancy JSON-RPC/PSYC
protocol it CAN speak and learn it.
If you can give me an easy example how to use a PSYC protocol in a
browser-based JS client to connect to GNUnet API without having to
write a lot of glue code then I will shut up. If not, case in point.

That does not mean that there are no people that would like to use
other means, _especially_ people already familiar with GNUnet. I am
just saying that we need to go with the times and accept reasonable
standards. Even though I work on GNUnet and it basically means breaking
with almost every known standard as a developer I am actually a fan of
standardization. And as a developer I _hate_ it when a library I want
to use shoves a new message format/connection mechanism down my throat
for which I need to build another library when I just want to use it's
functionality.

TL;DR Again: Frameworks/SDKs/Libraries for developers out there do not
implement fancy protocols/message formats. They implement standards.
JSONAPI is a standard.

- Martin

On Sat, 2016-02-27 at 15:04 +0100, carlo von lynX wrote:
> On Sat, Feb 27, 2016 at 01:01:01PM +0100, Martin Schanzenbach wrote:
> > 
> > At this point, if your GNUnet node does not expose the API over
> > REST
> > you are welcome to use sockets/custom JSON-RPC in your code for
> > mobile
> > (Android) and browser (JS) but then say hello to the year 1998.
> > Today, apps communicate with services through rest. Developers are
> > used
> > to this and it does make sense because ALL platforms can handle it
> > without additional software stacks.
> Sorry, this description still doesn't click with me.
> Please help me understand because there must be something to it
> if an intelligent man like you says this.
> 
> Figuring out the REST URLs and parameters means learning an API.
> What's the big difference to using an API which is more efficient?
> At least with jspsyc you can deal with native PSYC packet data
> which is the same that other PSYC apps deal with, no need to find
> out how the same thing works over HTTP REST URLs. No need to learn
> an API that essentially does the same things as the protocol, if
> you can simply learn the protocol. I don't get it.
> 
> These folks may be used to learn RESTful APIs, but is it
> such a big deal to learn a protocol instead?
> 
> 
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