[Bug 10671] consider adding support for PUT and DELETE as form methods

https://www.w3.org/Bugs/Public/show_bug.cgi?id=10671

Tom Wardrop <tom@tomwardrop.com> changed:

           What    |Removed                     |Added
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
             Status|RESOLVED                    |REOPENED
                 CC|                            |tom@tomwardrop.com
         Resolution|WONTFIX                     |

--- Comment #21 from Tom Wardrop <tom@tomwardrop.com> 2012-03-10 12:09:20 UTC ---
First, I'm surprised at the seemingly unjustified dismissal of this enhancement
request. Ian, it would be helpful if you would elaborate on your current
position.

I'm personally in favor of adding support for the PUT and DELETE methods to the
HTML specification, in fact, I'd personally like to see support for any and all
HTTP request methods. HTML is inextricably bound to HTTP. HTML is the human
interface of HTTP. It's therefore automatically questionable why HTML does not
support all relevant methods in the HTTP specification. Why can machines PUT
and DELETE resources, but humans cannot?

HTML forms play the very important role of allowing a user to send data to a
HTTP server - data that's relevant to the action being performed. The action
that is performed as a result of the submission is determined not by the user,
but by the forms method, as defined by the designer of the form. If you we are
to assume that the form designer had no control over the HTTP server, then how
does the form designer allow the user of the form to DELETE or PUT a resource?
It should be possible to put a HTML form in front of any HTTP server supporting
GET, POST, PUT, and DELETE, and have that form be able to performing any of
those actions without the need for server-side code that falls outside the HTTP
specification.

It's only because of server-side programming languages and programmers who have
made special provisions, that we have managed to get by without PUT and DELETE
support in HTML. If anyone has a static/traditional HTTP server that depends on
the available HTTP methods to fulfil requests, then HTML does not allow for
full interaction with the resources on that server, and I think that points to
a fundamental problem with the HTML spec.

With the popularity of REST, application architects want to provide a single
interface for machines and humans. Applications should not have to determine
who or what made the request. The HTTP method should tell the server what
action should be performed, and the headers should communicate what the client
expects in response. The current HTML specification does not allow for such a
unified interface, at least not without work-arounds employed by application
frameworks. As a human interface for HTTP, HTML has failed.

It's contradictory that while HTML goes to great lengths to ensure semantic
markup, it has to date made no such effort to ensure semantic HTTP requests.

If this is not reason enough for including at least the PUT and DELETE methods
in the HTML specification, then it needs to be explained why. Minor
implementation details like how the client should behave under certain
conditions should not get in the way of determining the validity or relevance
of this suggested enhancement to the HTML specification. Though I'm not
entirely sure why or how PUT and DELETE would introduce any client
implementation problems not already addressed by support for the POST method.

It's obvious this bug report has yet to reach a resolution, I've therefore
changed the status to REOPENED.

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Received on Saturday, 10 March 2012 12:09:27 UTC