More notes on messaging and file sharing intersection

Messaging fits into document sharing when document sharing permissions can't be allowed.

For example, in CalDAV (standardizing calendar access) we're defining how a user saves and updates their own calendar on a calendar server. This is a lot like file access or DB access.

But we also want CalDAV to allow users to publish their calendars to other people. Now we've got an application much like file sharing - we use access control and specify who can read and write the calendar data.

But we also want to have the calendaring server receive machine-parsable calendaring invitations to meetings. Do we do this with the same mechanism? Do I allow just anybody to create events or invitations in my calendar repository?

What if somebody puts me as an attendee on their event, in their calendar. How do I update my attendance status? Can I directly modify the event in their calendar to RSVP? If I do that, can I do other things?

Enter messaging to help solve these permissions problems (at a cost). Since I want people to be able to invite me and to be able to tell me their RSVP status, I can set up some kind of inbox to receive messages. Messages may contain full calendar event information (an invitation) or partial information (an RSVP to an invitation). I keep a record of the messages to tell me who sent what, when. I can filter out certain kinds of messages.

Is this dichotomy inherent or accidental?

-- LisaDusseault - 23 Sep 2004