Re: #foo URI references

At 12:25 2003 07 11 +0200, Roy T. Fielding wrote:
>Paul had asked:
>>Are you saying that it never makes sense for an author to use
>>xml:base or HTML's BASE element?
>
>No, it does not change their use.

I believe one really needs to be able to author something in a resource
that is certain to refer to that same resource.  If you look at most W3C
specification's--certainly most of those with which I am familiar in the 
XML Activity--I think you'll find most links are intra-document links.

>>If we change how #foo works from what's described in RFC 2396 to
>>what's described in 2396-bis, how does an author of a document
>>that uses xml:base or HTML's BASE author a link in that document
>>that is certain to be an intra-document link?
>
>By appending that fragment onto the base URI.  That is every bit as
>certain as 2396's notion of current document, and is more likely to
>get better over time.

No, that is not certain to be an intra-document link if the document's
base URI changes.  For example, W3C specs end up at many different
URIs during their development--in some cases, every draft has a 
different dated URL.  Using your suggestion, every time the document 
is placed at a different URL, the author would have to modify all
intra-document links.  (Redirects also can cause a resource's base URI
to be different from what the author expected thereby causing what should
be intra-document links no longer to be intra-document links.)

I also don't see a practical way using your suggestion to have XML 
with intra-document links generated from a database that may not know 
at generation time where the XML will end up.

I continue to believe this serious backward incompatible change to semantics 
defined by 2396 and assumed by various other specs including XML Base is
quite problematic.

paul

Received on Tuesday, 15 July 2003 17:14:32 UTC