[JDEV] Protocl proposal "priority bit"

[qbradley@csc.UVic.CA]

Thomas Charron's idea about sending files as Jabber messages has given me
an idea that might be useful generally.

Perhaps there should be an attribute or tag that acts like a priority bit,
like in ATM packets.  High priority packets would behave as already
described.  Low priority packets would behave differently in one
circumstance.  

If a low priority packet gets to its destination server, and finds the
user in question is not logged in, the packet is thrown away.

This would be great for "file transfer" packets.. maybe 50 of them have
already been sent when a user disconnects.  It is probably not desireable
for them all to hang around on the server until the user reconnections.
Instead the transfer should be resumed later.

There is another use of the packet.  Messages which are time limited.
Perhaps I send a message to my coworker "We are leaving for lunch right
now".  I don't want him to get it an hour later.  Either they should get
it right away or not at all.  Whether anyone would ever make use of such a
feature or not depends on how easy it was, a user interface issue.

Anyway, ramble ramble...  anyone else think it is an idea with merit?

Quetzalcoatl Bradley
qbradley@csc.uvic.ca