mesh portal discovery

[Dan Williams]

On Fri, 2008-01-11 at 00:09 +0000, david at lang.hm wrote:
> On Thu, 10 Jan 2008, Dan Williams wrote:
> 
> >>
> >> In the server-based backend, an IP address change *will* cause a
> >> disconnect and reconnect. This is definitely unavoidable, since XMPP
> >> uses a long-lived TCP connection to the server.
> >
> > IP addresses are going to change; that's a fact of life.  The best
> > anyone can do is try to not make an IP address change a traumatic
> > experience for the user, and provide mechanisms to ensure that whatever
> > the user was working on at the time doesn't just disappear in a puff of
> > smoke.
> >
> 
> this means changing every app to be aware of IP changes so that they know 
> that they need to re-connnect to the far end. and for many apps, 
> modifying them to be able to pick up where they left off (and to do so in 
> a secure way so that bad guys can't claim to be you on a new IP address 
> and connect into an authenticated session)
> 
> good luck in re-writing the world.
> 
> now, if you are willing to throw way all existing software (and solve the 
> reconnect security problems) you may be able to make it work, but there 
> are no apps that work this way today that I am aware of.

The world changed underneath the apps, but the apps weren't modified to
handle it.  It's not 1997 anymore.  People no longer only use desktop
workstations with static IP addresses.  Laptops are everywhere.  You
don't keep the same IP address when you walk from Starbucks to Panera.

Mobile IP may mostly solve this; and that's fine.  But until then, the
apps are going to suck if they don't handle address changes which are
simply a fact of life.

It's not that hard to write an app that notices and handles IP address
changes.  Not handling this in apps that are written for or ported to
the XO is just plain laziness.  When porting or writing, you need to
handle the always-fullscreen-window case, you need to handle the
security system, and you need to be aware of IP address changes.

Welcome to 2008.

Dan