Questions about HTTP/V1.0 doc dated 14-Jul-93

fwilliam@ccs.carleton.ca (Fred Williams)
From: fwilliam@ccs.carleton.ca (Fred Williams)
Message-id: <9308110954.AA16278@superior.YP.nobel>
Subject: Questions about HTTP/V1.0 doc dated 14-Jul-93
To: www-talk@nxoc01.cern.ch
Date: Wed, 11 Aug 93 5:54:21 EDT
X-Mailer: ELM [version 2.3 PL11]
Status: RO
 
 RE: Questions -- Hypertext Transfer Protocol Internet Draft 14-Jul-93
 
I have just read the document and a number of questions have come up concerning
 the actual implementation.
 
 1)  The ProtocolVersion stated in 1. is shown to be HTTP/V1.0 and also in 2.
     however in 1.1 Protocol Version it is stated 'only HTRQ is defined'.
     I assume HTRQ, based on an earlier document, is correct and 
     is the ProtocolVersion is really HTRQ/V1.0?
 
 2)  How does one terminate HTRQ header if there is no data to follow?  I 
     realize that a blank line separates header from data so does one still
     include a blank line if there is only header information?
 
 3)  An earlier document on HTTP describes the TEXTSEARCH method to request a
     search to be done utilizing search information contained in the data
     section.  Since the data section is in MIME this would allow complex 
     searches to be done and searches done on information other than ASCII text.
     The latest document seems to degrade method TEXTSEARCH to only a server
     response to indicate that searching is possible.  One then uses the
     GET method ( ie ?xxx+yyy ... ) to perform the actual search.  This does
     now restrict the search capabilities to only ASCII and simple searches.
     (ie 'very' limited pattern matching and no boolean operators ).  Is it
     now intended to keep TEXTSEARCH only as a response ( ie duplicating
     [ISINDEX] functionality) or to return its functionality as a request 
     method.
 
 4)  What does HTRQ stand for?  My best guess to date is HyperText ReQuest 
 
 5)  The abstract in the document states that 'It is a generic
     stateless object-oriented protocol'.  however it is suggested in 1.7.6
     Referer: that the information send could be used by the server to
     generate lists of back-links to documents.  This functionality would
     not make the server `stateless'.  Is this what is intended?

 6)  The CHECKIN and CHECKOUT methods do not have an associated server
     response.  This would be required so that the server could return a
     `lock indentifier` that would have to be used to unlock the object at
     a later date.  This would then maintain the 'statelessness' of the
     server.  Also how does the client set the lock timeout or is it up to
     the server to assign an arbitrary timeout to the lock?

With Thanks

Fred Williams
fwilliam@ccs.carleton.ca