[thelist] Re: hiding source

[Joshua Olson]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Diane Soini" <dianesoini at earthlink.net>
Sent: Wednesday, November 05, 2003 9:36 PM


> Not that I disagree, because I don't, but I was asked to hide the
> source not because of the HTML, but because they didn't want to give
> away the mathematical calculations the javascript was doing. (It was an
> ROI calculator.)

> Really, you can't hide the source, you can only make it harder to get
> to.

Diane,

This is all making sense.  Here's a couple thoughts that may help you in
this case.

First off, we all know that you cannot hide anything from anybody as soon as
you publish it.  That being said, if you want to hide the calculations, the
most effective method would be to move the calculation to the server.

The javascript interface provides a very quick interface and doesn't require
a page refresh.  While you cannot completely create the same experience
doing the calculations on the server, you can come close.

Using iframes, xml, and about a dozen other techniques, you could very
feasibly send the raw numbers to the server, let the server calculate
whatever it needs to, and then present the results on the web page without
requiring a refresh.  There would be a slight latency but there is no way
that someone could simply open up your code and steal the formula.

Examples:

http://developer.apple.com/internet/javascript/iframe.html
http://www.blueshoes.org/en/javascript/jsrs/

HTH,

<><><><><><><><><><>
Joshua Olson
Web Application Engineer
WAE Tech Inc.
http://www.waetech.com
706.210.0168