Query strings existed before CGI did, and the way they're defined to be filled in from web forms is quite useful; I wouldn't want to need Javascript to fit that into path format. There's nothing wrong about having things decided by the server; I don't get that part of your argument at all.

▲ cobbzilla 5 hours ago | parent [-]

Maybe dumb question: how does the server “decide” anything other than what file to serve? Today we have many choices but back in the day CGI was the first standard way to do it.

So yes query parameters existed before CGI but to use them you had to hack your server to do something with them (iirc NCSA web servers had some magic hacks for queries). CGI drove standardization.

▲ stirfish 5 hours ago | parent [-]

    func specialHandler(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
 if time.Now().Weekday() == time.Tuesday {
  http.NotFound(w, r)
  return
 }

     fmt.Fprintln(w, "server made a decision")
    }

Your server can make decisions however you program it to, you know? It's just software.

Forgive the phone-posting.

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cobbzilla 2 hours ago | parent | next [-]

and what server software is running this code in 1995?

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lispwitch 35 minutes ago | parent [-]

CL-HTTP or AOLserver

	▲	cobbzilla 15 minutes ago \| parent [-]
		sure looks like VB there, what’s the plugin? Didn’t see anything like that before.

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2 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

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