[e2e] time for a presentation layer?

[B. Scott Michel]

> I wonder if the talk about end-node services are arguments for a
> standardized set of presentation layer services. Is it time to do one for
> new apps to use? Some of the possible components:
>
>  o absolute reliability

Correct me if I'm misinterpreting you, but isn't that already done at the
transport layer or are you arguing for a more general purpose foo that
implements reliability such as various flavors of FEC?

>  o encryption
>  o compression
>  o data-typing (maybe)

I've been running into problems with the ISO model recently trying to
explain where my particular research fits and the session and presentation
layers always cause me the most grief. The reason being that they tend to be
sublayers of the application. Since applications tend to do their own thing,
I'm not entirely sure that a presentation layer is all that useful.

It might be useful to define a set of functionality that coalesces the
various points you enumerate as a general framework for application
"presentation" issues. Eventually, it will become reasonably monolithic and
then a de-facto layer.


-scooter