Re: 505 HTTP Version Not Supported
Bob Jernigan (jern@spaceaix.jhuapl.edu)
Wed, 3 Apr 1996 15:35:06 -0500 (EST)
Paul Leach wrote:
>
>
>
> >----------
> >From: Daniel DuBois[SMTP:ddubois@spyglass.com]
> >Subject: Re: 505 HTTP Version Not Supported
> >
> >At 01:42 PM 4/3/96 -0500, Bob Jernigan wrote:
> >>I.e., "if I don't need it, no-one does."
> >
> >I don't think it's a matter of me shrugging off the little people.
> >We've
> >been moving a long time towards increased HTTP complexity. We're now
> >at the
> >point where to be compliant with the latest HTTP there are headers you
> >are
> >*required* to send. The issue of how virtual servers are supposed to
> >handle 0.9 requests can be a sticky one (as long as 1.0 and 0.9 are
> >around
> >will vendors continue to suck up multiple IP addresses for one
> >machine?).
> >
> >IMO, this pseudo-backward compatibilty can only remain feasible for so
> >long.
> >I just think the world (wide web) would be a better place if no one
> >made 0.9
> >requests anymore. And I'll probably feel the same way about 1.0
> >requests
> >soon enough.
> >
> >>But 0.9 is useful and will continue
> >>to be useful in certain circumstances. About half my hits are 0.9 but
> >>they do return <1% of the data. It all depends on what you think http
> >>is useful for.
>
> <soapbox>
> I think Dan is being too kind. My reading of how people in charge of big
> chunks of the Interent backbone feel is that if we don't expunge 0.9
> _and_ 1.0 ASAP then the whole net will collapse. So, while it may be
> convenient to not have to change, and the old way may deliver value to
> those using it, they are creating disvalue for everyone else.
>
> The minimum pieces of 1.1 that have to be implemented by clients and
> servers to "save the Internet" aren't that hard: send Host:, and use
> persistent connections. (Proxy caches have additional requirements.) The
> people who have "20 line HTTP clients and 200 line HTTP servers" in PERL
> might see their code grow by 20 lines in order to do this. Real clients
> and servers might add 100-1000 lines (mostly for persistent
> connections). In return, the Internet will be there for us all to use.
> </soapbox>
>
> Paul
>
Then perhaps it's time to be explicit about retiring 0.9. I find
it useful in my intranet environment but I see no reason this
should burden the Internet. We could say that "If you use 0.9 in
an Intranet environment, then this environment should be shielded
from the Internet." I can't believe I'm the only one still using
0.9, but if so, I'll happily withdraw any request to preserve 0.9
and stuff them in a tiny server behind my firewall and drop any
claim about HTTP. The same thing might apply to anyone who wants
to stay with HTTP/1.0.
bob