Re: SVG12: image/svg+xml gzip requirements

* Thomas DeWeese wrote:
>>>   Huh?  If the network layer detects that the HTTP response
>>>is in fact GZip encoded even though the header isn't set and decodes
>>>it why is this a problem?
>> 
>> Because such software does not interoperate with software that does not
>> perform such error correction. 
>
>    Well, you are free to your option but don't reference a TAG finding
>saying it doesn't support this behavior when it clearly does!

<http://www.w3.org/2001/tag/doc/mime-respect.html>:

[...]
  Format specifications SHOULD NOT work against the Web architecture
  by requiring or suggesting that a recipient override sender-provided
  metadata without user consent.
[...]

Use of the +xml convention implies that such metadata needs to be
overridden (e.g. by implying further metadata) in order to process the
content any further than the first character. You will find further
information in the TAG finding that supports my claim, for example, the
HTML sniffing in section 2.1 is not much different from gzip compression
sniffing. You will also find that the AWWW document goes even further
and constraints "Agents MUST NOT ignore message metadata without the
consent of the user" and includes the principle "Agents that recover
from error by making a choice without the user's consent are not acting
on the user's behalf". The proposed registration does not discuss user
consent in any way and is thus inconsistent with the requirement in the
TAG finding, and actually with the "Architecture of the World Wide Web",
too.

If the registration is changed to require user consent to this operation
it might be more consistent with these TAG findings; I would not accept
such a resolution though. I very much disagree that the TAG supports
silent error recovery. If you think my interpretation of these TAG
publications is not what the TAG really intended, please request that
the TAG clarifies their materials so we can discuss this on more solid
grounds.
-- 
Björn Höhrmann · mailto:bjoern@hoehrmann.de · http://bjoern.hoehrmann.de
Weinh. Str. 22 · Telefon: +49(0)621/4309674 · http://www.bjoernsworld.de
68309 Mannheim · PGP Pub. KeyID: 0xA4357E78 · http://www.websitedev.de/ 

Received on Wednesday, 8 December 2004 21:40:17 UTC