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Ok, this is the first I've heard of a Netscape API - and after only half
an hour I managed to find the documentation (``Netscape Client APIs''
for those
who are interested :-).
Initial reactions:
- The APIs on different platforms work via different underlying
communication mechanisms. DDE and OLE2 on PCs, X properties on Unix boxes,
and AppleEvents on Macintosh platforms. This makes IPC between platforms
much harder. I would prefer everything to work via TCP so I can
have a Unix client, which talks to a PC browser, which sends documents to
a Mac client... and so on.
- There seems to be a different API on each platform! Compare the Netscape's DDE
Implementation and the Remote Control of
UNIX Netscape.
- The Unix-Netscape API is a ``Netscape API'' rather than a ``browser
API''. This is not really a complaint, but the intent of CCI and the
Unix-Netscape API is different. CCI is aimed as a general protocol which
can be implemented by any W3 browser. The Unix-Netscape API is fairly
Netscape specific (running under X windows at that). CCI could
successfully be incorporated into a text-based browser running on a DOS
box. The Unix-Netscape API could not.
- IMHO The Unix-Netscape API has far less utility that the CCI API. The
lack of equivalents of
DISPLAY, POST, and
SEND mean that it is only slightly more useful than the old
X
Mosaic remote control mechanism. I would guess Netscape plan to
replace this with something more substantial in the near future.
On a brighter note, the SDI
API draft from SpyGlass
is worth taking a look at. It's a description of a
cross-platform browser independent API which does look like a viable
alternative to the CCI API.
The feature-set of the API is very nice (and the DDE Netscape API is
based on it). I am guessing that Netscape will add this API to all platforms
once it is available.
However, there is no specification of anything like the CCI protocol which
throws the idea of having clients and browser running on different platforms
out of the window. Pity. If we had the SID API functionality implemented with
a nice protocol running on a platform-independent communication mechanism I
would be a happy chap.
Does anybody know the the SDI and CCI people have been talking to each
other?
Comments?
Adrian
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Coz Unix/Netscape remote control is horrible... but SDI... 
API docs are at...
by Adrian Howard, 1996, Feb 01
NEED NETSCAPE API DOCUMENTATION
by bama, 1996, Feb 23
its really required
by nidhi, 2001, Jun 07
