[MiNT]Idea for an Atari related Service

["Brian J. Roland" <bjr@localink4.com>]

I once saw a site that did some interesting proxy services for webusers.
I.E. it could manage cookies for you and such, keep you totally anonymous,
filter out scripts and some other heavily under construction things of that
nature.

Out of couriosity, I hit this heavily javascript page useing CAB via this proxy
service (http://www.anonymizer.com).  It almost worked, ALMOST, there was a lot
of garbage at the top of the download...but a page that would not load AT ALL
without the proxy service did load up in CAB (albeit littered with java script
code that threw the display amuck), but still...it gave me an idea...

What if...
Scripts and such were done that translate VM, javascript, and java applets there
on a remote proxy-like site into html and clientside bitmaps that CAB is happy
with and then shot it to off to your typical 1 to 4 meg ST/CAB user?  I realize
there's alot of java features that just might be difficult to fake in this
way...but there again, there's a lot that should be relatively simple to do.
This is how HTML was supposed to be in the first place!  Driven server side so
that only servers had to upgrade, not every PC in the world!

I can envision such a service being quite capable of profit earning if sold
correctly.  Imagine...the company with a LAN and 50 machines...said company
would only have to upgrade the proxy server to translate all that ever changeing
JUNK into whatever HTML standard they choose across the LAN.  In theory that
would cut costs in needing 50 new lisences and the man hours to install them all
to every PC for every little nit picky web related service pack that comes out.
Schools and libraries on tight budgets could drag out all those 3/486-68k boxes
in the basement running Win 3.1/OS6, etc...and get some real quality lab use out
of them.

I honestly don't know the marketing potential for this idea, but if it's a
subservice of a broader proxy provider, or even a full isp, it just might be
enough market to make it worth the effort financially.  It wouldn't have to be
limited to keeping older hardware/software in service, but could also offer
services for the latest and greatest web gadgets.  I.E. support for the wireless
handheld gadgets that are becoming more popular every day...

There's also a LOT of people who just cut all the java/VM scripting stuff OFF
for security reasons...with such a proxy, they could have it off at home for
security, yet still see most of the scripting effects intended by the site.

Personaly, I'd pay $10 a month or so for such a proxy, I'd even go as high as
$20 if it offered some things like tunneling or full service isp.

Just an idea that 'seems' like it might go places with surpriseingly little
effort for someone who has the equipment to experiment with the idea.  At the
least, they could work up a few good server side java-script to html/gif/jpg
translators and offer to sell them to existing proxy services.

Maybe even an idea for atari.org to consider as an atarian service.

Brian