Re: 411 response code: clarification, please

On Fri, 18 Aug 1995, Jim Seidman wrote:

> Could you summarize why 411 is needed?  If I'm reading draft 01 right,
> anytime someone mistypes their username or password for Basic authentication
> the server should send back 411.  I know this change will break at least
> some of the existing web browsers, since they look for 401 to trigger their
> authentication code.  There should be a very compelling reason to make a
> major change from current practice, especially since current practice is so
> widely implemented.

Well, it seems to me that, thanks to the change in protocal version to 
1.1, this will in fact not break existing browsers. Simply: If the 
request message indicates HTTP/1.0, send 401, if it says HTTP/1.1 or 
later, send 411.

I believe this is consitent with the spec, and seems to work. In fact, 
most of the new features outlined in HTTP 1.1 and 1.2 can work this way.

--/ Alexei Kosut <akosut@nueva.pvt.k12.ca.us> /--------/ Lefler on IRC
----------------------------/ <http://www.nueva.pvt.k12.ca.us/~akosut/>
The viewpoints expressed above are entirely false, and in no way
represent Alexei Kosut nor any other person or entity. /--------------