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Old Jul 24th, 2007, 2:07 AM   #6
lectricpharaoh
Caffeinated Neural Net
 
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It might be advantageous to start with 'portable' VM-based code, like .NET or Java. This way, you can compile the source without being too concerned about the user's OS. Of course, restricting the user's OS selection works too, so it will depend in part on your language familiarity, and that of your coding partners.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bigguy
I have had some questions like, since it will be compiled on the server wouldnt that allow people who might hack into the server be able to see people's code. The answer is no, everything a user compiles will be put into a their own Temp folder while their are connected, and when the connection is terminated that folder will be deleted.
You might not want to take this approach. Remember that HTTP is a stateless protocol; any perception of a constant connection (or 'session') is entirely artificial.

As such, you run the risk of timing out, and deleting the user's code. Imagine the poor guy who gets up to make some coffee, and comes back to find his code's deleted off the server. An alternate approach would be to give each user a directory (as you mentioned), and encrypt the contents. Access to the page could use SHTTP if you have security concerns, but in all fairness, you need to keep in mind that it might not be warranted.
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