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Comment by ForHackernews | Hacker News Reader

I really wish people would stop trying to cram everything into an HTTP-shaped box.

You can wish that all you want, but it isn't going to happen. HTTP is an extremely effective way to deploy new protocols; it is effectively the richest protocol design toolkit available universally to developers, and has the added benefit of playing well with middleboxes. Expect more "cramming" in the future, not less.

I agree. What is wrong with creating new protocols?

Anything outside of port 80/443 will be blocked at some point.

Blocked by who? Are you talking within some specific context, eg. corporate networks? Because HTTP/HTTPS are both TCP based protocols with some very limiting characteristics for many applications.

There are a whole lot of applications out there in widespread use that depend on UDP at the very least, eg. most multiplayer network games, just to use the simplest and most common example I can think of. Not everything can (or should) be stuffed into a HTTP transaction.

Yes, the blocking problem mostly affects corporate networks or shady wlan access points.

Game developers don't really have a problem with using UDP/TCP on random ports.

Sure, but there's a bit of a stretch from there to the parent posters claim "anything outside of port 80/443 will be blocked at some point" as a justification not to develop new, non-HTTP based protocols.

Of course, it's just a sloppy excuse.

Only if nobody uses those ports.

I want as much as possible to break for people who block those ports, and engage in other user-hostile actions.

Familiarity. I can either work with a protocol that has been around, in some way shape or form, for almost 30 years. That has matured, has a myriad of information relating to edge cases, is familiar to new and old developers, and is quick to develop for.

Or I can create my own protocol which has none of those benefits besides possibly quick development.

> Familiarity. I can either work with a protocol that has been around, in some way shape or form, for almost 30 years.

Yeah, using TCP directly is great, isn't it?

Stupid people block stuff. That's why (somewhat less stupid) people try to tunnel everything via HTTP.

Middleboxes tend to not play well with non-HTTP content these days. Not long ago this was also the case for non-UDP/TCP protocols, this is even more cemented.

The only times I know that non-HTTP works is video games and that is sorta hit-or-miss on one ISP I frequent, they block protocols they don't know for "security".

Making it HTTPS is an easy way to get around any potential firewall problems and have it work easily in corporate settings.

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