Re: [RFC] Optional header negotitation

On Tuesday 21 August 2007, Robert Brewer wrote:
> Different clients use different means to determine when to
> send 'additional' headers:
>
>  * wget provides the user a '--header' command-line argument.
[...]
>  * Atom Publishing Protocol clients may send a "Name" request
[...]
>  * Most modern browsers allow servers to send them javascript.
[...]
>  * Some applications allow users to fully script the HTTP
[...]

> I can just see Request objects the world over growing a new
> "req.requested_headers" attribute so that they can...populate
> those headers with the same values they were writing before,
> using application-specific conventions and mechanisms. I just 
> don't see the benefit to generalizing the declaration, since
> the above applications seem to be doing just fine without it.

  First of all, thanks for those clarifications...

  I believe that what you're saying act as a plus to the 'Header-Request' 
proposal. What you're showing here is in fact a (another ?) clue that 
something like this is actually needed but doesn't exist (yet ?), which leads 
to proprietary, non-standard "solutions". Do you actually believe that having 
a standard way to do these things will not be a benefit? Why not propose a 
standard to fit those needs?

  As for the req.requested_headers (I suppose you're referring to mod_python), 
I find it usefull... :-) (speaking for myself) 

  Finally, you should consider that newer "clients" will not need to introduce 
their own proprietary methods (like the javascript and plugin solutions you 
proposed), which of course saves us from interoperability and compatibility 
issues.

Received on Tuesday, 21 August 2007 10:01:58 UTC