In <868770917(_dot_)20030109194639(_at_)brandenburg(_dot_)com> Dave Crocker
<dcrocker(_at_)brandenburg(_dot_)com> writes:
With respect to the appearance of new capabilities (such as new data formats
and encodings) in the installed base, your use of the term "gobbledegook"
needs to be made more precise. If it means that that a legacy system
receives the data and the data are legal but meaningless -- MIME base64 is
example of this approach -- then it is fine. It permits incremental adoption
without breaking existing systems. The downside for existing systems is that
they do not get the benefit of the new feature, but everything else
continues to work fine.
Charles> Yes, that is exactly what I mean. If someone in the newsgroup suddenly
Charles> starts using raw UTF-8 in his name (a phrase) or in his Subject, the
Charles> existing gateway is unlikely to fall over and collapse.
unlikely.
Yes, if someone has written a gateway that dumps core whenever it receives
illegal input, then I have no sympathy with him. And if such gateways
currently exist, then they must already be dumping core on a regular
basis, because there is already a very considerable amount of 8-bit
headers travelling around on Usenet.
Therefore, it is reasonable to proceed on the basis that existing gateways
will either drop non-conforming input on the floor, or they will pass it
on in a form that will be obviously "wrong" (i.e. will appear as
gobbledegook) wherever it is viewed.
The question is whether that situation is acceptable in a transitional
phase, and my argument is that it is acceptable insofar as it only arises
where the new functionality has been used, that the buildup of the new
functionality will be slow, that it can be tolerated to a degree in some
environments, and that where it cannot be tolerated the gateways can be
upgraded before the scale of the problem becomes serious.
--
Charles H. Lindsey ---------At Home, doing my own thing------------------------
Tel: +44 161 436 6131 Fax: +44 161 436 6133 Web: http://www.cs.man.ac.uk/~chl
Email: chl(_at_)clw(_dot_)cs(_dot_)man(_dot_)ac(_dot_)uk Snail: 5
Clerewood Ave, CHEADLE, SK8 3JU, U.K.
PGP: 2C15F1A9 Fingerprint: 73 6D C2 51 93 A0 01 E7 65 E8 64 7E 14 A4 AB A5