Client handling of Expires: (was: Content-lengths of dynamic objects)

Rainer Klute:
>
>>Unfortunately, my tests indicate that Netscape doesn't
>>handle the Expires header properly :(
>
>Not to defend Netscape against anything, but is there a client at
>all that handles Expires properly? Not even the CERN proxy does.

NCSA Mosaic (at least the version I am using) handles Expires: properly, by
not having an internal cache at all.

On a related note, there seem to be differing views on what it means for a
client to handle Expires: properly.  Some issues:

- if a document on screen expires, should the client automatically reload
  by contacting the server?
  In my opinion, it should not.

- if a document in the client history list expires, should the client
  reload it by contacting the server when it is selected from the history
  list?
  In my opinion, it should not (what is the meaning of the word `history'?).

- if the reload button is pressed on a document that is NOT expired, should
  the client fetch a new copy from the server nevertheless? 
  The answer `no' would make html authoring using a plain text editor and
  a WWW client for previewing difficult.

>Rainer Klute

Koen.

Received on Thursday, 11 May 1995 06:45:12 UTC