Re: lynx-dev mime-types, server responsibility, etc..

[Ismael Cordeiro]

On Sat, 2 Jan 1999 address@hidden wrote:

> He says that it's not the server's responsibility to set up the mime
> types, and apparently the browser can request an appropriate MIME
> encapsulation for files.

He's wrong.

"Media types are used to communicate the format of the content in HTTP
transactions. Clients use media types in their "Accept" headers to indicate
what formats they prefer to receive data in. Servers use media types in
their "Content-Type" headers to tell the client what format the accompanying
entity is in --i.e., whether the enclosed text is HTML that needs to be
formatted, GIF or JPEG to be rendered, or PDF format that requires opening
an external viewer or using a plug-in."

Webmaster in a Nutshell
Stephen Spainhour and Valerie Quercia
O'Reilly & Associates

> I'm not trying to start an argument either way, I am just trying to find
> out the real deal.

Don't start an argument. Just press "d" on the links to binary files.

> Kind of interesting though that, for someone who's continuing to write
> Apple II software and running a web site for Apple II stuff, he won't
> modify the server end to make it easier to download files..

Unfortunately, that's very common. The same thing happens on CP/M and
Commodore web sites.

> Hmm, I just downloaded it with Lynx, and my Zmodem properly undid one
> level of packaging (Binary II, to tell filetype of the end file), and I
> went and was able to look in the archive with the archive program. So I
> guess it *did* get downloaded as text.

If you pressed "d" on the link it was downloaded as binary. If you just
pressed Return it was downloaded as text/plain, and probably corrupted.

> It sure is weird for me to see text/plain when downloading it with Lynx.
> This was a case of me knowing "enough to be dangerous", I guess. I was
> equating text with 7 bit, thinking it would munge my data.

Text doesn't mean 7-bit. Everyday I write text files in French and
Portuguese using 8-bit characters.

Ismael
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