Re: lynx-dev Lynx 2.7.1 and 2.8 refuse to render certain HTML documents

[Jason F. McBrayer]

>>>>> "HS" == Heather Stern <address@hidden> writes:

HS> I ate the fortune cookie first, then read what Jason F. McBrayer wrote:
>> Using file extensions for file typing is an abomination, and since
>> the web has a perfectly satisfactory alternative (mime types), we
>> should do file typing the right way.

HS> Theoretically with MIME types we shouldn't need extensions at
HS> all... except, as far as I can tell, that's how most servers
HS> determine what MIME type to state during HTTP!

\begin{rant}
Unfortunately, yes, since Unix doesn't have typed files
and most http servers run on Unix.  Still, the Unix philosophy is that
files /really/, /really/ don't have types: a stream is a stream is a
stream.  The use of extensions for setting MIME types is clearly an
example of the Windows mindset slopping over into Unix, and not an
expression of the Unix philosophy.

Servers running on OSes that DO have typed files (Macintosh, OS/2)
could use the native file type (resources, EAs) to set the MIME type.
What servers on Unix /should/ do is to generate indices of files in
each directory, let their file types be assigned in the index, and
refer to the index for what MIME type to send out.  Or perhaps use
magic numbers to decide (as in file(1)), or some combination of the
two.  But we seem to be stuck with the idea that, say, PostScript
files have to be named "dog.ps" and not "A picture of my dog Spot"
just because people in the DOS world say so.  Bleah.  File names have
nothing to do with file types, so there :)
\end{rant}

-- 
+----------------------------------------------------------------+
| Jason F. McBrayer              address@hidden |
| The scalloped tatters of the King in Yellow must hide Yhtill   |   
| forever.                    R.W. Chambers _The King in Yellow_ |