- From: Shel Kaphan <sjk@amazon.com>
- Date: Sun, 10 Sep 1995 16:28:09 -0700
- To: Roy Fielding <fielding@beach.w3.org>
- Cc: http wg discussion <http-wg%cuckoo.hpl.hp.com@hplb.hpl.hp.com>
The HTTP spec says (and I take this from the HTTP 1.1 spec dated 8/27/95, but it hasn't changed any time lately): In "5.2 Method": "The set of common methods for HTTP/1.1 is described below Although this set can be easily expanded, additional methods cannot be assumed to share the same semantics for separately extended clients and servers." This clearly implies that the spec allows that there will be some "ad hoc" experimentation and extension of the protocol going on in the world. People behind firewalls do not have a choice of whether their client talks to a proxy or an origin server, so by disallowing proxies to forward methods they do not explicitly recognize, you have made the semantics of what happens when a method request is issued dependent on whether you are talking to a proxy or an origin server. Also in "5.2 Method": "Servers should return ... 502 (not implemented) if the method is unknown or not implemented by the server". I think an exception needs to be made for intermediate proxies. It seems to me they should not preemptively claim to know what the origin server does and does not support. --Shel
Received on Sunday, 10 September 1995 21:10:21 UTC