POST vs. GET (was: RDF Namespace parser)

Frank Boumphrey <bckman@ix.netcom.com> wrote:

> <aaron>Also, why do the forms use POST instead of GET?</aaron>
> 
> view source shows (at line 70):
> 
> <form method="GET" action="/2000/06/webdata/xslt">
> 
> For my own enlightenment, is there any reason why 'GET' is preferred
> in RDF?. I always use 'POST' in my hacking.

Yes, Dan kindly changed it after my post. The reason GET is preferred is
because GET and POST have a semantic meaning, and before trying to add more
semantics to the Web we should do our best to maintain the ones that are
already there. GET is meant to be used for any action that has no side
effects -- thus, any client should be able to request, prefetch, etc. it
without worry. POST should only be used for actions which have some sort of
effect -- unsubscribing someone from a mailing list, etc. For more on this
and other bits of theory to the Web, see Tim Berners-Lee's Axioms of Web
Architecture:

http://www.w3.org/DesignIssues/Axioms

-- 
[ "Aaron Swartz" ; <mailto:me@aaronsw.com> ; <http://www.aaronsw.com> ]

Received on Wednesday, 30 May 2001 22:54:29 UTC