RE: comments on HTTP draft of 5 Nov 93

fwilliam@ccs.carleton.ca (Fred Williams)
From: fwilliam@ccs.carleton.ca (Fred Williams)
Message-id: <9312090139.AA06363@superior.YP.nobel>
Subject: RE: comments on HTTP draft of 5 Nov 93
To: www-talk@www0.cern.ch
Date: Wed, 8 Dec 93 20:39:03 EST
X-Mailer: ELM [version 2.3 PL11]
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Subject: RE: comments on HTTP draft of 5 Nov 93
To: davis@dri.cornell.edu
Date: Wed, 8 Dec 93 19:59:51 EST
Cc: www_talk_request@dxcern.cern.ch
X-Mailer: ELM [version 2.3 PL11]

Jim Davies writes
> They should be removed.  Specifically, I mean CHECKOUT and CHECKIN
  and SEARCH.
> One could argue that LINK and UNLINK are too ill-defined right now,
> since the very names have been called into question, and I have
  argued 
> (above) that TEXTSEARCH and SPACEJUMP should be removed, although
  for
>other reasons.

The method SEARCH is intended to allow for the searching of items that do not
easily lend themselves to a textual representation and as such do not fit the
current method of specifying search terms using GET.  By specifying the SEARCH
method and including the search terms within the MIME envelope any information
can be searched (within the capabilities of the server).  This would allow for
the following (example) searches to be done:
 
    All sound clips that contain this passage
    All pictures that contain this element
    etc.
    and other searches not yet explored within the MultiMedia enviroment.

> Re: SEARCH (1.6.4)  It's not the least bit clear to me what this
  thing does,
> or why it MUST be in the HTTP spec.  Also the correspondance is
> formatted funny, it's set in a courier typeface and the lines
> are so long they fall off the right margin of the paper.

It should be in the HTTP specification as it represents a generalized way to 
search information.  I realize that the specification may not represent all the
intent of the idea but it is really a `chicken or egg' type problem. 

The formatting of the text is a decision left to the author of the document.  

I would be happy to detail out the functionality of this method, if requested,
now that my academic obligations are complete.

Fred Williams

fwilliam@ccs.carleton.ca