HTTP application streams a response to the client gradually - how deal with it?

[Harald Massa]

Alan,

> If you disagree that HTTP is not suitable for a chat application,
> please feel free to say why.

I don't want to write a Chat Server via HTTP. Chat-Servers are just three 
imports away using twisted - and IRC, Jabber.... are all designed to be 
Chat-Protocols.


There is a existing Chat server, using HTTP / HTML. Currently it only 
works with Internet-Explorer as a client. Lynx is unlucky, Mozilla works 
only half.

So I want to do a Chat Client in Python. Perhaps translating from the 
HTTP-Stream to another protocol.

I think it's not a good idea to use HTTP for Chat - but it is used. 
 
> If your issue is with the use of port 80 (or whatever HTTP port is in
> use), often being the only port that goes through firewalls, then 
>that's  a different issue from trying to use HTTP for what it wasn't 
>designed for.
The issue is: HTTP is used for this kind of stuff. And as you mention - 
it was not designed for it. 

So your feedback was valuable - especially the part about Request / 
Response. It looks as if I have to go the socket way. Maybe a second try 
with twisted.

Harald