Explain usage in browsers

[simevidas]

(Sorry for the n00b question.) I'm not sure that the "Client" code means (in the README). It starts with:

var spdy = require('spdy');
var http = require('http');

Does this mean that I have to load these packages onto the web page in the browser? Like with browserify? Is there a ready-to-use browser script that I could directly load via <script> so that I don't have to build it via browserify?

[indutny]

Sorry, I don't think that it would work with browsers.

[simevidas]

Ah, so the "Client" code isn't meant for browsers. I see.

[netpoetica]

This image from the Chromium whitepaper helps a little bit to explain what is meant by "client":

"SPDY adds a session layer atop of SSL that allows for multiple concurrent, interleaved streams over a single TCP connection. The usual HTTP GET and POST message formats remain the same; however, SPDY specifies a new framing format for encoding and transmitting the data over the wire."

So in this instance "client" is really just the SPDY client that sits over your HTTP server

[simevidas]

@netpoetica In the case of the the code examples in the README, "Client" means a Node module, I think.

[netpoetica]

@simevidas Yes, that is correct, I think we are saying the same thing :-) "client" is a program (process) written in node (in this case).

I think it's helpful to consult to spec on this one as well -it probably sounds a little loopy, but it's because they are trying to be clear about the fact that your SPDY client is responsible for initiating a SPDY session, not your server. (Note: I reorganized the definitions a little bit to help illustrate the point more clearly)

1.2.  Definitions
      endpoint: Either the client or server of a connection.
      client: The endpoint initiating the SPDY session.
      server: The endpoint which did not initiate the SPDY session.
      connection: A transport-level connection between two endpoints.

...
2.1.  Session (Connections)
   The SPDY framing layer (or "session") runs atop a reliable transport
   layer such as TCP [RFC0793].  The client is the TCP connection
   initiator.  SPDY connections are persistent connections.

Section 3 describes the direction of requests and responses between the server and SPDY client in a way that might help clarify it as well.

[Hosar]

@simevidas how do you handle the browser request? with a library like superagent?