title: possible web protocols in javascript
body: <p>What are the alternatives to HTTP (per <a href="http://www.w3.org/TR/XMLHttpRequest/" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><code>XMLHttpRequest</code></a>) when establishing a server connection in JavaScript? The only one I know is the <a href="https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc6455" rel="nofollow noreferrer">WebSocket protocol</a> (per <a href="http://www.w3.org/TR/websockets/" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><code>WebSocket</code></a>). Their corresponding secure variants https and wss included.</p>
  <p>Would it be possible to choose an arbitrary protocol with JavaScript? How do you communicate with NTP, IMAP, UDP etc. -services for example in Node.js?</p>