Re: Why is From: limited?

According to Chuck Shotton:
> At 11:38 AM 3/27/95, Roman Czyborra wrote:
> >Albert Lunde:
> >
> >> In real life the Unix UID that "owns" a document may have nothing to
> >> do with the author, for example on a CWIS where everything is posted
> >> by a few people.
> >
> >But those few people will have the write permission on the documents
> >and know who to forward the criticism to.
> 
> This is BOGUS. It makes this feature of NO value. 
> 
> >> There are already HTML solutions in wide use for
> >> indicating/contacting the author of HTML docs.
> >
> >What do you do about non-HTML documents served on HTTP?  Do you put
> >comments on all of your GIFs?
> 

There is already an HTTP header which has the function you want.
Here is an example from the HTTP spec:

  Link: <mailto:timbl@w3.org>; rev="Made"; title="Tim Berners-Lee"

The question of where the information that goes into this header comes
from is a server implementation issue.  Right now I don't think many
servers implement this.  I know that WN does, but only on a directory
basis (i.e. all files in a given directory have the same mailto.)

Instead of trying to persuade the HTTP community to add an additional
header, why not try to persuade your server writer to implement this
header and to get the information automatically in the way you want.

It really is a shame that this header and others like Expires and
Keywords aren't more widely implemented.  It is even more of a shame
that browsers for the most part completely ignore most header lines.
It wouldn't be that hard to let the user *see* the header lines.

John Franks

Received on Monday, 27 March 1995 08:55:41 UTC