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

[David Woolley]

> 
> I've never found a reference about HTTP servers being able to attribute
> media types in a file by file basis. Do you know where I could find more
> information on that?

The documentation for the original NCSA server (although I think that 
Apache now only allows directory by directory - it uses extensions, not
the full name).

> of her web site a text file named ".htaccess" with
> 
> AddType     application/octet-stream     sfx

The problems here are:

1) .htaccess can be disabled, and may well be disabled for security/
   product differentiation++ reasons on free web space;

2) my ISP, at least, uses a very trivial web server for their free space;

3) this sort of information is completely out of band in Microsoft servers
   (I think this is true of Netscape Fast Track, as well);

4) most users don't even realise that the server can be configured, so 
   don't create a market for these features to be enabled/publicised.

++ bundled space can't be too useful, otherwise no one would pay for space.