Re: on "Make readable URIs": don't rely on users to remember/type URIs

On http://www.w3.org/QA/2004/08/readable-uri:

1.  "anthetical" in the fourth paragraph is a misspelling.

2.  I don't understand the connection between "ease of pronouncing" and "for those who cannot type."  Wouldn't pronounceability be important whether or not a person can type?

3.  The following (item 2 of "Other techniques and recipes"):

	Most servers can be configured to serve a certain 
	file as a directory index, e.g 
	http://www.example.com/products/ will be similar 
	to http://www.example.com/products/index.html

doesn't seem right.  I think I understand the intent, but the term "directory index" is at best confusing.  I expect an index to be something that provides an index for a directory - a redundant concept for computer files, but meaningful for printed directories.  Files named "index.html" are almost always not indices, so it doesn't make sense to say they're served as such.

I'm not sure of the history behind "index.html", but what is really going on is that the server is serving a default file, based on a particular file name, whenever the URI refers to a directory and not a file.  I think a better wording would be:

	Most servers can be configured to serve a default
	file if a directory is given, e. g.
	http://www.example.com/products/ will serve the
	same content as 
	http://www.example.com/products/default.html .
	Other filenames, most commonly "index.html," may
	be used as defaults by some servers.

Gary

Received on Friday, 4 February 2005 03:47:12 UTC