>>IMHO, this problem has been somwehat exacerbated by the trend to put
>HTTP servers inside network printers. Hence, the tendancy to say
>"Let's do everything on top of HTTP", which naturally leads to
>exploring the use of HTML and MIME as data encoding techniques, etc.
Putting HTTP servers inside printers is not the only reason people like
to stick with HTTP. As was brought up before, it is also the universal
availability of "stock" Internet software that talk HTTP, that makes the
use of HTTP a natural approach. Remember easy to do ideas get done
first!
>Babak