Hierarchy in WebDAV

This post is in response to Roy's post
(http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/w3c-dist-auth/1998OctDec/0189.html).

Roy's argument, as I understand it, is that maintaining an hierarchical
namespace is a policy decision, not a protocol decision. By requiring a
server to maintain a consistent namespace in certain circumstances, we are
dictating how a server is implemented rather than confining ourselves to
defining the meaning of the bytes going over the wire. This argument
resonates strongly with me as I made very similar arguments about a number
of requirements in the HTTP spec (most of which, to the credit of the
tireless efforts of Jim "The Editor" Gettys, were later downgraded from
MUST/SHOULD to must/should).

I provide the explanation, as I understand it, for how this requirement end
up in WebDAV in section 7 of
http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/w3c-dist-auth/1998OctDec/0305.html.

			Yaron