Re: introduction to the TPE

On Apr 10, 2014, at 9:07 AM, Dobbs, Brooks wrote:

> I know Roy has already shot this down, but I'd say this intro (along with the current one) still has a deficiency.
> 
> As I've said before, the intro should set up what the spec does without being misleading.  The TPE is not a complicated spec in terms of capabilities on the UA side; you can alter the status quo either by sending a 0 or a 1.   When we speak about expressing a preference your options are pretty limited 0, 1 or choose not to decide.  The spec, as it sits, only requires the ability to communicate 1.  It would have been a trivial change to the language to mandate that UAs MUST offer a DNT:0 option, but the consensus was not to mandate this.  Fine, that was what was decided, but having so decided you need to reflect this decision in the introduction.  This is not about obtaining "a preference" it is about obtaining "the preference" DNT:1.

Not mandating the option be present is not the same as forbidding
that it be implemented.  The protocol supports sending DNT:0 by
configured choice -- it is a MAY on implementation by UAs.
IIRC, Firefox already implemented it that way in its config,
but I haven't checked if it actually sends DNT:0 on the wire.

....Roy