RE: My 2c on scheme abuse

[My apologies if this arrives twice: first time I sent it from
 an account not subscribed to this list]

Mark Baker wrote,
> Aaron Swartz wrote,
> > > From what I've seen, a lot of folks are concerned about
> > > using the HTTP scheme for namespaces because they don't 
> > > want their web servers overloaded.
> > 
> > Why would their web servers be overloaded?
>
> Didn't you hear, Aaron?  An HTTP URL has to be resolved before 
> any meaning can be associated with it.  8-)
>
> The assumption may stem from the fact that validating XML 
> parsers have to run off to get the DTD to build the infoset.  
> Though that's a problem with DTDs and not URLs, I've heard that 
> given as a reason for not using URLs as public ids.

Sadly HTTP URLs _will_ be resolved even when that's unnecessary
for them to be meaningful as bare identifiers. And if they are,
then servers (particularly ones hosting extremely popular DTDs
or namespaces) might well be in trouble.

xml-dev's RDDL or anything similar, if widely adopted, would put 
namespaces more or less on a par with DTDs on the 'XML parsers 
running off to get stuff' front. These aren't problems with
either DTDs or namespace URIs per se. The problem is using a 
protocol (and, by extension, encoding that protocol in an 
identifier via a scheme) which doesn't support distribution and 
replication in a way which is appropriate for this kind of
situation.

You've mentioned an Akamai-type solutions to this problem. I
don't see how that's supposed to help ... could you elaborate?

Cheers,


Miles

-- 
Miles Sabin                               InterX
Internet Systems Architect                5/6 Glenthorne Mews
+44 (0)20 8817 4030                       London, W6 0LJ, England
msabin@interx.com                         http://www.interx.com/

Received on Thursday, 1 February 2001 16:41:04 UTC