On Jan 24, 2013, at 04:41, worley(_at_)ariadne(_dot_)com (Dale R. Worley) wrote:
From: Carsten Bormann <cabo(_at_)tzi(_dot_)org>
I think in protocol evolution (as well as computer system evolution
in general) we are missing triggers to get rid of vestigial
features.
That's quite true. Let us start by rationalizing the spelling and
punctuation of written English (which is the coding system for *this
entire discussion*). Once we've cleaned up that idiocy, we can start
in on SIP.
I see I didn't make myself clear.
I'm not suggesting we clean up vestigials in existing spec[ie]s, such as HTTP
or SIP.
(We might even do that, see HTTPbis, but only very carefully.)
My point was about the case when we clone new stuff off existing protocols.
(SIP was cloned off HTTP which was cloned off SMTP which was cloned off FTP
which at least has had strong kinship with Telnet, hence all these use NVT.)
Staying in your analogy: when you design a new language based on English,
please do fix some of this stuff.
(Maybe the analogy isn't that useful after all.)
Actually, we haven't been that bad about this.
E.g., we have been pretty good about getting rid of the madness of historic
character coding by focusing on UTF-8 for new designs.
What I'm asking for: Apart from these big reformation projects, we also should
occasionally fix little things.
When "inventing" new stuff by drawing analogies off of old specs.
Grüße, Carsten