Re: section 1, intro, for review

Mark Baker writes:

>> I would prefer it if the special role of HTTP was at least alluded to.

This is a point which Mark and I have occasionally discussed  in private. 
No doubt, HTTP plays a distinguished role in the Web today and for the 
forseeable future.  Still (and I suspect Mark doesn't agree) I don't see 
why our architecture should imply that the web would diminished in quality 
if HTTP were eventually displaced by other protocols.  Indeed, I see this 
possibility of evolution as important to allow for changing applications, 
new hardware/software, and to enable access to more diverse sorts of 
resources over time. 

If we didn't have universal  naming, there would be no web;  if the widely 
deployed protocols evolve over time, I think we're fine.   Thus, and I 
know this is controversial, I prefer a formulation in which the 
foundational web architecture is just URI's, with no particular protocols 
or schemes distinguished or preferred. 

Whatever protocols we deploy at this or that point in time are to promote 
interoperability for access to  (representations of or information from) 
resources.  If the TAG wants to write a separate document on "Web 
architecture in 2002", I think http should indeed be identified there as 
playing a distinguished role. 

------------------------------------------------------------------
Noah Mendelsohn                              Voice: 1-617-693-4036
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Mark Baker <distobj@acm.org>
Sent by: www-tag-request@w3.org
03/18/2002 09:54 AM

 
        To:     www-tag@w3.org
        cc:     (bcc: Noah Mendelsohn/Cambridge/IBM)
        Subject:        Re: section 1, intro, for review


Point 2 makes HTTP sound like just another protocol.  While I don't
expect an intro section to get into the nitty gritty of the relationship
between it and other protocols, I would prefer it if the special role of
HTTP was at least alluded to.

Also, on that same point, I'm not sure what the mention of
MIME/packaging adds.

Otherwise, very succinct.

MB
-- 
Mark Baker, Chief Science Officer, Planetfred, Inc.
Ottawa, Ontario, CANADA.      mbaker@planetfred.com
http://www.markbaker.ca   http://www.planetfred.com

Received on Monday, 18 March 2002 17:15:52 UTC