Re: <object data type> when type is unsupported (detailed review of Semantics)

At 17:01 +0200 UTC, on 2007-07-27, Simon Pieters wrote:

> (This is part of my detailed review of the Semantics and structure of HTML
> elements section.)
>
> The spec says about <object>:
>
>     Whenever the data attribute changes, or, if the data attribute is not
>     present, whenever the type attribute changes, the user agent must
>     follow the following steps to determine what the object element
>     represents:
>
>       1. If the data attribute is present, then:
>
>            1. Begin a load for the resource.
>
>               The download of the resource must delay the load event.
>
> Shouldn't UAs be allowed to opt to not begin load for the resource when
> type="" is something that the UA knows is unsupported? (Or perhaps it
> should even be required to not begin load for such resources.)

Or unwanted by the user, yes. Or the user may want the resource to be loaded
in another client. (Embedded QT movie in QT Player, for instance. Embedded
Real file in Real Player, for instance.)

The only question is whether the type attribute can be treated as
authorative. AFAIK up until know it contains only advisary information, with
the HTTP Content-Type being authorative. So I'd agree that UA should be
allowed to not load a resource, but I allowing them to base the decision on
the type attribute would introduce incosiistency of @type's weight/meaning.
I'm not sure that would be a good thing.


-- 
Sander Tekelenburg
The Web Repair Initiative: <http://webrepair.org/>

Received on Friday, 27 July 2007 17:13:28 UTC