Re: 5.1.2 Request-URI

Roy T. Fielding (fielding@avron.ICS.UCI.EDU)
Fri, 26 Apr 1996 17:05:09 -0700


> Okay, I'll accept your arguments.  However, there is still a piece I feel
> is missing:
> 
> 1) We want clients to send, and servers to accept, an absoluteURI.

No, we only want servers to accept an absoluteURI.  Clients can't
send it until 2.0.

> 2) Eventually we want to obviate the need for Host:.

Not in 1.x.  The stuff added to the third block of text in section 5.1.2
is wrong -- it needs to be removed.

> 3) The purpose of absoluteURI and/or Host is to specify the virtual host
> for (at least) an http_URL.

That is only one of many things that absoluteURI is used for in the
specification.  In fact, it is probably the least important of them.

> The reason I've been trying to restrict the absoluteURI syntax is that
> then it becomes easy to identify the virtual host.  I believe somewhere
> in the spec. there should be an explanation of how to identify the
> virtual host of "the resource identified by the request".

I believe Koen asked for such a section of text to be added to the
section on Requests.  However, that must not change the protocol syntax.

(and it ain't gunna write itself)

......Roy