Re: Media capabilities and HTTP

Al wrote:
> to follow up on what Daniel Dardailler said:
> > 
> > > then there could be an argument for a
> > > modification to HTTP that would facilitate the extraction of titles from
> > > HTML head elements, text fields from PNG images, etc.
> > 
> > Indeed, this part of HTTP could be clarified and extended and Javier
> > is on the hook to produce a requirement document for that, that we
> > will submit to the W3C HTTP working group.
> > 
> 
> I have a recommended approach to how we handle WAI requirements
> on capbility-negotiation.
> 
> The requirements for HTTP should come from the Styles work area.
> HTTP and Styles should mutually work out how much information
> about the media capabilities of the client session can/should go 
> from client to server in support of autogeneration of pages or
> selection of styles.   They will have to figure out whether it
> will work to put stylesheet subtypes in the existing Accept
> header or whether some new header field possibly named Target_Media
> would work better.

Now you've confused me. Why would HTTP be extended here since the
model is as follow:

  - the server sends *one* HTML document with multiple pointer
    to various SS in it, categorized by media target (see example in 
    http://www.w3.org/TR/WD-html40-970708/present/styles.html#adef-media)
  - the user-agent decides which one it wants, and fetch it.

In which circumstances would the user-agent need to negociate further
with the server (e.g. send it a preference list).
 
> The WAI needs to agree with the Styles work area on how we describe
> the media capabilities active and/or preferred in the client session
> so as to get 

Yep.

Received on Thursday, 17 July 1997 12:47:27 UTC