If, for instance, you're wanting to send a number of encrypted key-value pairs, this could be as simple as

use Crypt::Simple;
print MYSOCKET encrypt(join(":",map {"$_=$vals{$_}"} keys %vals));
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RPC (and thus SOAP) is more often used where you're sending 'objects' back and forth, allowing a client to perform Remote Procedure Calls...overkill for simply sending 'data'.

Having just knocked out a moderately-sized wxWindows app btw, I can (charitably) say that the documentation gives you just enough (with a couple of very minor errors / omissions), and I'd definitely use it again for all my advanced GUI needs. :)

Cheers, Ben.

So would I just be looking at something like IO::Socket? I haven't done much (read: any) socket programming before, any guidance is appreciated.

Oh - sorry - you're *not* just talking about protocol... :)

IO::Socket is the OO version of the basic 'Socket' module - you can use either, though it's usually easier to use the first to do something like below...

A client...

use IO::Socket::INET;
my $socket = IO::Socket::INET->new("${my_server}:${my_port}") or die $
+!;
print $socket "My Ping\n";
my $answer = <$socket>; #should be 'My Pong'
close $socket;
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A server...

use IO::Socket::INET;
my $server = IO::Socket::INET->new(LocalPort=>$my_port,Type=>SOCK_STRE
+AM,Listen=>1) or die $!;
while (my $client = $server->accept()) {
    my $message = <$client>;
    print $client "My Pong\n" if ($message =~/My Ping/);
}
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...which is obviously not going anywhere near production code, but should be enough to get started with. Check out the 'Sockets' section of the Camel Book for more info.

Cheers, Ben.

Hi, sorry I should have specified that I want to avoid web browsers. Their simplicity can't be beat, but unfortunately they have many limitations as well. The GUI would need to do semi-advanced text editing (amoung other things) which <textarea>'s just can't do. Thanks anyways for the suggestion :)

It sounds like a remote X connection through ssh would do everything you want. That would give you transparent encryption and control of the client application, which would run on the server. The only disadvantage is that winders boxes generally lack ssh and X, though both are ported, iirc.

After Compline,
Zaxo

Thanks for the suggestion. I have to admit whenever I see "remote X connection" I start to look for my tinfoil hat. It also seems like a bit of a heavy solution for this problem, and since the primary client OS will most likely be windows (unless some people get a clue quickly! ;), it probably wouldn't work out too well.

Maybe I'll try that in a future project though, thanks :)