Re:X and NeWS history
by DonHopkins on Monday September 25, 2017 @04:19PM
(#15333765)
I'm saying that client/server has a meaning that's independent of who initiates the connection, or what kind of connection it is.
For example, whether you weed dealer "Dave" calls you on the phone and tells you he can drop by if you're interested, or if you call "Dave" and ask him to drop by, "Dave" is still the server, and you're still the client.
You and your drug dealer are not computer programs operating over a socket. You are using a different definition of "client" to mean "purchaser". You may find that to be a useful description in that context but in a computer context it sounds like you are being intentionally vague.
Re:X and NeWS history
by DonHopkins on Monday September 25, 2017 @05:48PM
(#15334469)
I thought I was being intentionally pretty specific that client/server relationships can go both ways, at the same time, regardless of which side initiated the connection. Once you have a connection, no matter which side initiated it, or even if they both just randomly met in Linda tuple space like ships in the night, each side can offer services to and consume services from each other.
That's just false. A web server listen(2)s/accept(2)s. A web browser or other HTTP client connect(2)s. An X server listen(2)s/accept(2)s. An X client connect(2)s.
In either case it would not make sense to invert this relationship. In both cases a server is an endpoint that serves its resources to multiple clients. Are people advocating conceptually that the graphics card connect to its programs, and not the program request access to it? That makes very little sense. Just like a web server would not proactively connect to its end user web browsers. The requests happen in the other direction.