Subject: RE: [Simple] Updated XCAP specification

From: Adam Roach <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 27 Feb 2004 20:10:57 -0600

Jonathan Rosenberg [mailto:[email-masked]] wrote:

> * MIME type for element PUTs and GETs is now defined as
> application/xml-fragment-body. Did not include proposed "root"
> type - wasnt clear why it was needed. The root is known by the
> requesting client.

The primary reason for proposing a "root" type is to make the
mime type more re-usable. Strictly speaking, it is not necessary
for XCAP usage. However, if anyone ever wants to use
xml-fragment-bodies in any other context, it is likely to be
very useful to know what the type of the root document was
to start with.

Generality and all that.

/a

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From: Jonathan Rosenberg <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 28 Feb 2004 03:24:09 -0500

> very useful to know what the type of the root document was

That makes some sense.

I wonder, however, how frequently it would be the case for client to 
receive a document of application/xml-fragment-body and NOT be aware of 
the top level MIME type (and, correspondingly, the schema). In any case 
where the fragment is being used to send a diff, presumably the client 
has the original doc.

Can you think of anything?

I also imagine that in many cases, the client is receiving the XML and 
the root document has no MIME type per se. There are actually relatively 
few registered XML mime types in the registry, in fact. I suspect most 
cases, knowing the schema or other forms of XML context is more 
important. Indeed, the XML fragment specification was defined for 
exactly this purpose. We don't need that at all, since we have the full 
document.

> Generality and all that.

Sure; at the same time though, you need to understand the requirements 
for the problem you are trying to solve. Its not clear to me what cases 
would benefit from MIME type information as opposed to other XML context.

-Jonathan R.

-- 
Jonathan D. Rosenberg, Ph.D.                600 Lanidex Plaza
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From: Jonathan Rosenberg <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 28 Feb 2004 03:24:09 -0500

That makes some sense.

-Jonathan R.