On 14/05/2016 5:54 AM, "Dave Crocker" <dcrocker@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
> FTP and HTTP are simple, single-hop client/server mechanisms. The latter is, of course, widely used, but it's a one-hop service. (In reality, of course, the web has all sorts of additional hops, if one looks at content distribution, and other mechanisms, but they are behind the scenes and under tight control.)
>
Every deployment decision about HTTP for the past number of years is predicated on the fact that there is a heap of middleware out there (gateways, filters, caches, other proxies) that will break; not just CDN-level stuff, but every toolshed IT Admin of every institution-level setup seems go configure their own proxy. Even HTTPS isn't immune now, it would seem. And these middle boxes are no more "behind the scenes" from an end-user's POV than other protocols' relays or proxies. "Tight control" is not a phrase I'd use to describe the situation.
Cheers,
Matty