Re: LYNX-DEV Lynx bug -- relative paths in FTP

[Paul Gilmartin]

In a recent note, Klaus Weide said:

> Date: Mon, 4 Nov 1996 11:29:05 -0600 (CST)
> 
> On 4 Nov 1996, Hrvoje Niksic wrote:
> 
> > I have found Lynx having problems when I specify a relative directory
> > in FTP.  E.g. when trying to retrieve URL
> > 
> > According to RFC1738, the default paths should be relative by default,
> > and absolute if otherwise stated.  So the result from HTParse should
> > have been `c', not `/c'.
> > 
> > Here is the exact quote from RFC1738:  [snipped - kw]
>  
> That is a known (let's be neutral and say) property of Lynx and is
> documented; see your local lynx_help directory, or
>           http://www.nyu.edu/pages/wsn/subir/lynx/2.6/lynx_help/lynx_url_
>           support.html
> 
> So far this deviation from the RFC in unix versions (and the inconsistency
> between unix and VMS versions) has always been explained by referring to
> a decision made by one of the original Lynx authors, eons ago... and the
> Lynx code has kept faithful to that decison (for unix).
> 
> Maybe it is time for a change, but then you have to be prepared to argue
> why such a change would not negatively affect users who may be relying
> on the current (non-RFC-conforming) behavior (taking into account that
> there already is a way to specify what you want, see references above).

... and whether servers serve pages that contain URLs that presume similar
nonconformance in servers L, M, and N.  OTOH, a circumvention does not
constitute conformance.

> And someone would have to volunteer to make all the necessary changes,
> in a consistent manner.
> 
Ah, but this already exists to support VMS and VM/CMS servers.  Read
further in:

  http://www.nyu.edu/pages/wsn/subir/lynx/lynx_help/lynx_url_support.html#ftp

(although, there is one remaining nonconformance:  RFC 1738 states:

 
   Within a name or CWD component, the characters "/" and ";" are
   reserved and must be encoded. The components are decoded prior to
   their use in the FTP protocol.

Lynx, however, decodes the entire URL, then separates it into the components,
breaking it incorrectly at any "/" that was encoded.  As far as I know,
the only effects of this are to cause some invalid VM/CMS paths erroneously
to appear valid, and to cause unnecessary multiple CWD commands on VMS.)

-- gil
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