Posted by Jochem Maas on 01/21/05 17:55

Jason Barnett wrote:
> Mikey wrote:
>
>>> Hi again - thought it best to keep the two topics separately...
>>>
>>> I have just leased a virtual hosting package and want to provide GPRS
>>> access to my email server using WML.
>
>
> <disclaimer>I have never built a site that served WML, but I know a
> small bit about it</disclaimer>
>
>>>
>>> Now I have a couple of test pages that I have put up on the server
>>> that I
>>> want to view, but can't seem to get to them. I am not really sure about
>>> how GPRS works, but I thought that any internet server could serve
>>> WML as
>>> long as it was valid.
>
>
> OK Google tells me GPRS is this:
> http://www.gsmworld.com/technology/gprs/intro.shtml#1
> (Sorry, like I said I've never served WML before!)

WML = wireless markup language - an XML definition not unlike XHTML but
much more cutdown and geared toward, small mobile platforms (usually
with tiny screens and a limited input system - i.e. no 104-key keyboard :-)

quoting the site above:"
Because it uses the same protocols, the GPRS network can be viewed as a
sub-network of the Internet with GPRS capable mobile phones being viewed
as mobile hosts. This means that each GPRS terminal can potentially have
its own IP address and will be addressable as such.
"

>
> I definitely have never treaded into these waters. If GPRS is a
> protocol that is built on top of HTTP then I can think of no reason why

lets not confuse the issue here - GPRS is NOT a protocol built on top of
HTTP - if anything its the other way around. GPRS is a physical network
spec (is my language correct there?) capable of hosting a TCP/IP
environment upon which HTTP can travel so to speak.

> your Apache server shouldn't be able to do this. The main task, I
> think, would then be to check the browser's user-agent and generate WML
> if it is a browser built for a phone.

Jason is correct in this. a slightly different way would be to setup a
seperate site (e.g. vhost) geared purely to WML output (e.g.
wml.yourdomain.com) but the end result is the same.

obviously you will have to sort out the connection to the 'web' via your
phone. then its just a case of pointing it at you WML server to view a
page. when your at that stage you can actually get it to the fun side of
writing a secure php app that will output your email as WML pages....
hacing said that all those newfangled all-singing-all-dancing phones of
yester-minute have minibrowsers that are capable of viewing std (X)HTML
(e.g. the Opera mobile browser?) - in which case layout is your biggest
problem (i.e. cos of the small screen)....

there maybe a need to read/write special HTTP header 'by hand' in order
to fully communicate with the WML device... PHP give access to raw
request data so that should be a 'big' problem.

good luck on this - sounds interesting! keep us informed on how you get
on :-)

>
> Lucky you... I actually looked through some packages once upon a time to
> serve WML. I remember liking what I saw from HAWHAW; perhaps it will
> work for you?
>
> This link will probably help you out:
> http://www.hawhaw.de/faq.htm
>
>>>
>>> I have read a little about gateways and from what I have read it seems
>>> that it would be my phone company that was responsible for providing
>>> that.
>
>
> AFAIK yes, mobile phone companies provide the gateways to the net.
> Sprint actually has a lot of stuff out there to help developers provide
> content to their system, but I never got into it much (I remember it
> being more work than my just-for-fun project justified).
>
>>>
>>> Any ideas?
>>>
>>> Mikey
>>
>>
>>
>> Any takers for this question?
>>
>> Purrrrlease?!?!?
>
>
>

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