Re: misconceptions about MIME [long]

Dan Connolly (connolly@pixel.convex.com)
Tue, 27 Oct 92 17:53:55 CST 

Message-Id: <9210272353.AA23418@pixel.convex.com>
To: Larry Masinter <masinter@parc.xerox.com>
Cc: NED@sigurd.innosoft.com, nsb@thumper.bellcore.com,
Subject: Re: misconceptions about MIME [long] 
In-Reply-To: Your message of "Tue, 27 Oct 92 15:43:32 PST."
             <92Oct27.154337pst.101795@poplar.parc.xerox.com> 
Date: Tue, 27 Oct 92 17:53:55 CST
From: Dan Connolly <connolly@pixel.convex.com>


>> What methodology do you propose to prevent this situation?
>
>* If you register a format name, then the name should be linked to a
>  well known, published, dated version of the specification of those
>  formats...

You mean like this? from RFC1341:

            7.4.2     The Application/PostScript subtype

            A  Content-Type  of  "application/postscript"  indicates   a
            PostScript    program.    The   language   is   defined   in
            [POSTSCRIPT].

            7.5  The Image Content-Type

            A Content-Type of "image" indicates that the bodycontains an
            image.   The subtype names the specific image format.  These
            names are case insensitive.  Two initial subtypes are "jpeg"
            for the JPEG format, JFIF encoding, and "gif" for GIF format
            [GIF].

...
            [POSTSCRIPT]  Adobe  Systems,  Inc.,   PostScript   Language
            Reference Manual,  Addison-Wesley, 1985.

            [GIF] Graphics Interchange Format (Version 89a), Compuserve,
            Inc., Columbus, Ohio, 1990.

It's tough to keep folks from sticking postscript level-2 stuff in
under the name of application/postscript, but you can't blame
the MIME standard for being ambiguous in any way.

Dan