RE: [RFC] Optional header negotitation

Stefanos Harhalakis wrote:
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
> 
> 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?

Yes, I actually believe that. You can't codify/systematize the
whole world, and in fact attempting to do so leads to fragile,
stale societies. Let the applications which use HTTP decide
how best to coordinate additional headers in a way that is
best suited to each one of them.

Or, you could ask yourself why none of the above applications
(and in fact, I know of no applications which) send a second
message asking for more headers, when they could easily do so
today without an additional standard.


Robert Brewer
fumanchu@aminus.org