Re: Proposed TAG Finding: Internet Media Type registration, consistency of use

Mark Baker <distobj@acm.org> wrote:

| No, I'm just saying that I believe that RFC 2616 is authoritative here.

Would that it were.

| And what I interpret it to say (viz a viz "if and only if"), is that if 
| a media type is present, an agent MUST NOT guess.

A certain well known Integral Part Of An Operating System, which comes
preinstalled on practically every Wintel box shipped, happens to disagree.

The explanation, such as it is, may be excavated from under the blizzard
of pseudo-technical doubletalk here:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/workshop/networking/moniker/overview/appendix_a.asp

A full-text search for the word "ambiguous" may help.

For a demonstration of the Gift of Gates in action, please point your copy
of Redmond's Pride and Joy at:

 http://ppewww.ph.gla.ac.uk/~flavell/tests/spoof.gif

There can be highminded handwaving, or there can be a naming of names,
calling a spade a spade.

The issue is clear:  Bell the cat, or be marginalised.

Received on Wednesday, 22 May 2002 02:53:38 UTC