Re: updating RFC 2718 (Guidelines for new URL schemes)

At 16:48 29/08/04 -0700, Larry Masinter wrote:
>2.3 Demonstrated utility
>
>I'd like to suggest that we require something stronger: that new
>URI schemes have demonstratable, new, long-lived
>utility:
>
>   Because URI schemes are a single, global namespace, the
>   unrestricted registration of many new URI schemes can
>   clutter implementation space, and possibly lead to
>   contention for "short names". For this reason, new
>   URI schemes should have a clear utility to the broad
>   Internet community, and provide some means of identifying
>   resources that is not already available with previously
>   registered URI schemes.
>
>Perhaps this is controversial :)

Hmmm... I think there's a valid concern expressed here, and maybe the 
(potentially) controversial aspect can be made less so by something like this:
[[
   [...] and provide some means of identifying resources or other
   widely desired benefit that is not already available with previously
   registered URI schemes.
]]

Rationale:  the original wording might be severely interpreted to argue 
against the registration of any new media type (which would be 
counter-productive to the document's purpose), but I think the broader 
wording still retains the onus for genuine incremental utility to be 
demonstrated for for a new scheme.

#g


------------
Graham Klyne
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Received on Monday, 6 September 2004 16:20:00 UTC