- From: Roger Hågensen <rescator@emsai.net>
- Date: Thu, 16 Sep 2010 20:14:52 +0200
On 2010-09-16 15:17, Mikko Rantalainen wrote: > 2010-09-13 16:44 EEST: Roger H?gensen: >> On 2010-09-13 15:03, Mikko Rantalainen wrote: >>> And why do we need this? Because web servers are not behaving correctly >>> and are sending incorrect Content-Type headers? What makes you believe >>> that BINID will not be incorrectly used? >> Because if they add a binary id then they obviously are aware of the >> standard. > And because Apache developers were obviously aware of the "Content-Type" > header they implemented it correctly?... I > also fail to see future where server software vendors provide perfect > implementations. We can dream can't we? *smiles* >> Old servers/software would just pass the file through as they are >> unaware so content type issues still exist there, >> eventually old servers/software are rotate out until most are binary id >> aware. >> This is how rolling out new standards work. >> A server would only add a binary id if none exist and it's certain (by >> previous sniffing) that it's guess is correct, > How about we add a new parameter to Content-Type header instead? For > example, the server could send a file with a header such as > > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1; accuracy=0.9 > > and a "conforming" user agent should assume that there's 90% possibility > that the given content type is correct. If accuracy is 1.0 ("100%") then > sniffing MUST NOT be done. If the sniffing the UA is going has 95% hit > rate the results from such sniffing should probably be used instead of > HTTP provided content type if server provided accuracy is less than > 0.95. I'll make it explicit that any sniffing done by UA should have a > probability of error attached to the result. A sniffing result without > probability for error has no value because otherwise a literal > "text/plain" is a good heuristic for any file (see also: "Apache"). > > This way server administrators could opt-out from any sniffing and an > incompetent server administrator could specify global accuracy of 0.1 or > something like that. Hopefully new web servers would then either provide > no default accuracy at all or specify some low enough value that allow > for sniffing. > > My point is that there's no need for BINID. My suggestion above is > compatible with existing servers, content and UAs, as far as I know. In > addition, it would provide a way to declare that the given content type > should be trusted even if UA "thinks" that honoring the content type > causes problems for viewing the content. Now we're getting somewhere, I really like this proposal. Actually, with your idea a binary id would complement this as a server supporting it could provide accuracy=1.0 in that case. So I have to say that your accuracy parameter seems quick to add/support (both in http header, and in HTML5 meta and other appropriate places?) And I doubt the Apache Foundation will have much issues supporting this either. I guess we'll have to see what the rest thinks in this list but... a solution this slick.. it certainly has my vote, nice work Mikko *thumbs up*. -- Roger "Rescator" H?gensen. Freelancer - http://EmSai.net/
Received on Thursday, 16 September 2010 11:14:52 UTC