Re: HTTP response version, again

On Fri, 20 Dec 1996, Larry Masinter wrote:

> Dave, what about:
> 
> # The protocol version in the response MAY be either HTTP/1.1 or
> # HTTP/1.0. The headers in the response MUST be consistent with BOTH the
> # protocol version of the response AND the protocol version in the
> # request.
> 
> I don't know why we have to nail this down. "We MAY not always have to
> MUST if we can MAY."

And the content of the response MUST be compatible with the request
version when the version is lower than the response version ...
this I suppose is a side effect of TRANSFER-ENCODING: as a header
not allowed by the above rule but is will surely break a 1.0 client
if it is presumed to ignore unknown headers and is sent a content
body with chunked encoding.

I think that the real issue here is we are using a single value to
accomplish two objectives:

   a.  Label the level of the response
   b.  Declare the capabilities of the server


Perhaps the 'bug' fix is to add a way for the server to declare its
capabilities ? And in the status, label the level of the response.

Dave Morris