IDLE: unified W3-access to interactive information servers

Abstract This paper focuses on the problem of accessing interactive information servers (“interactive sessions” in W3-terminology, e.g. an existing library information system) directly with a W3-browser instead of opening an additional viewer (e.g.a terminal emulation program). IDLE is a language designed to describe the user interface of interactive information servers in a way that allows automatic translation of W3-requests to server-commands. Interactive information servers described with IDLE can be accessed by any W3-browser via a special translation server. Describing the user interface of an interactive information server is typically much easier than designing a fully featured gateway for each service.