Web Technologies: Stability vs. capability

There are a number of web technologies currently brewing

HTTP
CGI
JavaScript
Java
XML
DHTML
VRML
ASP

However as seen from interactive web sites with large usages (such as Amazon or AltaVista) only a few of these technologies(HTTP & CGI) can be reliably and predictably used across all range of browsers.
HTTP is a unidirectional information transfer mechanism with control on the server
CGI is a bidirectional mechanism with 2 components

A limited & reliable set of widgets on a web page
Programs on the server that encapsulate functionality arising from usage of these widgets.

The more a technology transfers to the client side, the more unpredictable it gets.
DayCGI consists of a set of CGI programs and forms for accessing Daylight databases (source in $DY_ROOT/daycgi)