[Bug 7689] Cache-defeating semantics are not defined

http://www.w3.org/Bugs/Public/show_bug.cgi?id=7689


Ian 'Hixie' Hickson <ian@hixie.ch> changed:

           What    |Removed                     |Added
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
             Status|REOPENED                    |RESOLVED
         Resolution|                            |NEEDSINFO




--- Comment #7 from Ian 'Hixie' Hickson <ian@hixie.ch>  2009-10-18 10:01:55 ---
> The contradiction is that a description of what the algorithm does is in
> non-normative text.

Why is that a contradiction? Non-normative text often explains the implications
of normative text.


> > The bit you quoted at the very top of this bug is about user agents sending
> > cache-related headers _to_ the server, which is completely unrelated.
> 
> My point is that the spec is inconsistent in its approach towards cache
> semantics.

Consistency is not necessarily a goal (though it's nice in general). In this
case, it seems the inconsistency, such as it is, is warranted by the different
and asymmetric needs of server-side and client-side requirements.


> > > My proposal is to either be specific in a normative manner about the kinds of
> > > cache semantics that must be ignored or may be permitted. The specific
> > > semantics that are actually applied are then bounded in this range.
> > 
> > Do you have any suggestions for what should _not_ be permitted? I don't really
> > understand what this would look like.
>
> Cache defeating semantics are identified here -
> http://www.basswood.com/standards/WD-countmethod.html. Identifying the
> techniques that are permitted should be either good enough or leaving out the
> whole discussion on cache-defeating semantics should be fine. The current
> situation doesn't really help anyone.

That doesn't really answer my question.

There's no point listing which features are permitted if all of them are
permitted. Which should _not_ be permitted?


-- 
Configure bugmail: http://www.w3.org/Bugs/Public/userprefs.cgi?tab=email
------- You are receiving this mail because: -------
You are the QA contact for the bug.

Received on Sunday, 18 October 2009 10:01:57 UTC