Re: Issue: Requiring server to use / terminated URL for returned coll ections

> I strongly object to adding a MUST for servers returning slash
> terminated URLs for collections.
>
> Most repositories do not allow trailing segment-separator characters
> in the segment name of a resource, and therefore these trailing
> segment-separator characters are commonly just stripped off before
> that segment name is stored in the repository.  This means that in
> order to decide whether to add the segement-separator character back
> on, the implementation must query the repository for the type of each
> resource identified by that segment.  Forcing this cost on the server
> is only justified if it provides some compelling benefit to the
> client.

That's simply not true.  Most repositories store the type of a resource
along with the resource name in the collection (a.k.a. directory) and
thus that information is available at the time the segment is used
within a link describing the collection at no extra cost to the server.

All other repositories are fully capable of improving their internal
implementation.  OTOH, the protocol specification is responsible for
specifying that which is clearly most efficient for the protocol and
for those servers that have already anticipated its implementation.

....Roy

Received on Monday, 16 September 2002 20:49:24 UTC