LYNX-DEV Re: HREF pedantry

[Al Gilman]

Klaus>
See also <URL: http://www.ics.uci.edu/~fielding/url/draft-fielding
-url-syntax-06.txt> if these examples don't make it obvious enough
why whitespace in URL references should be insignificant.

Al>
That is the basic reason.  URLs have to survive in more hostile
environments than just being HREF values in HTML.  And they have
to survive as something that is easily and reliably machine-parsed.
They are a compromise between interfacing with the person and the parser.

Klaus>
There really is no excuse why *an automatic tool* should *generate*
IDs with embedded spaces.

Al> 
That's going too far.  There are good reasons why automatic tools
should not be _generating_ the NAMEs and IDs used in HTML.
Consider the fact that the Lynx message screens do not contain
hotlinks into the User's Guide simply because the User's Guide
made the unfortunate choice of using serial integers as opposed
to mnemonic strings for anchor names.

Allowing whitespace in names is part and parcel of a _positive_
trend.  On the other hand, it is appropriate for URLs to be a 
bit lagging in this regard.

Just like our beloved Lynx.

--
Al Gilman

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