Re: URIs in HTML5 and issues arising

Ian Hickson <ian@hixie.ch> wrote on 06/30/2008 03:41:58 PM:

> On Mon, 30 Jun 2008, Sam Ruby wrote:
> >
> > A concrete example: the RSS 2.0 specs use the term "URL"
>
> So that we're on the same page, could you provide a URL to the spec(s) in

> question?

http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/rss/rss.html

http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification


> > If I understand correctly, HTML5 will allow the following in content,
> > and will expect that all comformant HTML5 consumers will be able to
> > process it interoperably:
> >
> >   <a href="http://www.?ը??.com/">James Holderness</a>
> >
> > It is not currently the case that RSS 2.0 allows the following in
> > content, and it most assuredly is not the case that conformant RSS 2.0
> > comsumers process it interoperably:
> >
> >   <enclosure url="http://www.?ը??.com/atomtests/iri/?.mp3"/>
>
> That's unfortunate. Why wouldn't that be allowed?

My read of RFC 3987 section 1.2 paragraph a would preclude it from being
allowed in the context of a pre-existing specification such as RSS 2.0.

And a good reason not to allow it would be that existing clients aren't
expecting it, and won't properly handle such IRIs.

> If it's not allowed, how does RSS 2.0 say that it should be processed?

The RSS Profile requires that such IRIs must be converted to a URL using
the procedure specified in RFC 3987.

http://www.rssboard.org/rss-profile#data-types-url


> How is the term "URL" defined in RSS 2.0? Is the term used in its RFC3986

> definition? (i.e. is the intention really to exclude URNs?)

Given the date the spec was originally published, the presumption is that
it refers to the term as used in RFC 2396.

> > Question: is there a change to the HTML5 spec which could reduce this
> > confusion?  Alternately, would it be possible to work with Harvard
> > and/or the RSS Advisory review board to reduced confusion?
>
> I would be very happy to work with either or both of the above.

I'd suggest that you contact John Palfrey and/or Dave Winer concerning the
Harvard spec, and the RSS Advisory Board regarding the RSS Advisory Board's
specification.  The RSS Advisory Board can be reached using the
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/rss-public/ mailing list.

> --
> Ian Hickson               U+1047E                )\._.,--....,'``.    fL
> http://ln.hixie.ch/       U+263A                /,   _.. \   _\  ;`._ ,.
> Things that are impossible just take longer.   `._.-(,_..'--(,_..'`-.;.'

- Sam Ruby