http content type authoritative for object data?

Hi,

HTML4 said:

"type = content-type [CI]

This attribute specifies the content type for the data specified by 
data. This attribute is optional but recommended when data is specified 
since it allows the user agent to avoid loading information for 
unsupported content types. If the value of this attribute differs from 
the HTTP Content-Type returned by the server when the object is 
retrieved, the HTTP Content-Type takes precedence." -- 
<http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/struct/objects.html#h-13.3>

HTML5 has in 
<http://dev.w3.org/html5/spec/Overview.html#the-object-element>:

"3. If there is a type attribute present on the object element, and that 
attribute's value is not a type that the user agent supports, but it is 
a type that a plugin supports, then let the resource type be the type 
specified in that type attribute.

4. Otherwise, if the resource type is unknown, and the resource has 
associated Content-Type metadata, then let the resource type be the type 
specified in the resource's Content-Type metadata."

This suggests that when @type is present, the associated content type 
information (for instance HTTP Content-Type) is ignored, which seems to 
be both an incompatible change, and violate the "authoritative metadata 
principle".

Was this discussed somewhere? It it *implemented* this way?

Best regards, Julian

Received on Tuesday, 8 December 2009 16:33:53 UTC