Re: HTTP response version, again

Rob Hartill:
>
>Koen Holtman wrote:
>
>>I feel that interoperability, which is the main thing the IETF is
>>working for, would not be served by making the default configuration
>>of Apache incompatible with AOL's 1.0 clients.  Interoperability would
>>not even be served in the long run.  This would just cause a lot of
>>pain for unsuspecting AOL users and unsuspecting Apache site
>>maintainers.  Not to mention the mass media fallout.
>
>I think you're perhaps missing or forgetting the point.

Nope.

> AOL went out
>of its way to cause this problem and has admitted that they did it to
>try to FORCE http/1.1 servers (whih means Apache 1.2b to them)
>to change their behaviour,

I'm fully aware of this, I read the aol-http web page.

> such actions should not be tolerated.

Your conclusion, not mine.  I interpret their action as a mistake, not
as an act of war.  You forget that about half the people on this list
(mis?)interpret the version number requirements of HTTP/1.x in the
same way as AOL does.

>It is not unreasonable for AOL to go out of their way to undo the change
>now that they have been told that they have nothing to fear from http/1.1

Sure, but give them some time.  Do not expect a big organization to be
able to correct its mistakes quickly.

I don't think you should go to war with AOL.  I recommend that you
treat AOL's proxies as inferior 1.0 implementations and work around
their breakage in the Apache configuration files.  I'm not asking you
to change the response version number in the default case, and I'm not
asking you to ever omit HTTP/1.1-specific response headers. Just set
things up so that you can ignore AOL's actions.

>At this stage I will use my veto on the Apache list to prevent the
>default Apache configuration being compatible with AOL's sabotage.

If you want to send your users to the trenches over this, that is your
choice.  But don't expect me to stand by the side and cheer.  I worked
very hard in the last 1.5 years to allow for the _smooth_ deployment
of HTTP/1.1.

>rob

Koen.

PS: I just read Apache Week 46, and it reports that you _are_ going to
work around AOL's breakage.  So did I misunderstand your comments or
is Apache Week wrong?

Received on Monday, 23 December 1996 06:14:48 UTC