# Re: message/external-body & URL

Mark Constable (wnet!markc@alsvid.une.edu.au)
Fri, 14 May 1993 12:30:21 GMT

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    In-Reply-To: <9305131330.AA22738@Mordor.Stanford.EDU>

                 (from Dave Crocker <dcrocker@mordor.stanford.edu>)

    Message-Id: <m0nu8Gj-00005Mk@wnet.uucp>

    Date: Fri, 14 May 1993 12:30:21 GMT

    From: wnet!markc@alsvid.une.edu.au (Mark Constable)

    To: ietf-822@dimacs.rutgers.edu, uri@bunyip.com

    Subject: Re: message/external-body & URL

-> Content-type: message/external-body; access-type=URL;
-> url="ftp://nic.nordu.net/internet-drafts/draft-ietf-uri-url-00.ps";
->
-> I just realized that this is not a globally unique identifer.
->
-> It asserts that internet-drafts is the top of the tree at nic.nordu.net
-> and I bet that depends on the way you log into it. Most anonymous
-> logins anchor your to a different part of the file system tree than if
-> you log in normally.
->
-> d/

I'm not sure why you used URL as an access type as it's not defined in the
new MIME draft. Your example would be correct if it was;

Content-type: message/external-body; access-type=anon-ftp;
url="anon-ftp://nic.nordu.net/internet-drafts/draft-ietf-uri-url-00.ps";

then the URI would be unique.

While I'm at it, a note about 'alex' as I've not seen the subject mentioned.
The above file could have been referenced and fetched thus;

[nfs mount alex etc]

cp /alex/net/nordu/nic/internet-drafts/draft-ietf-uri-url-00.ps ~

I'm finding alex-paths are 'cleaner' to work with, but without DNS lookup
is a bit foggy where the domain part ends and the file-path starts (which
URIs make perfectecly clear). How to tac on UUCP hosts, well, I've tried
both of these (as I'm uucp based);

/alex/au/edu/une/alsvid!wnet!ms/internet-drafts/draft-ietf-uri-url-00.txt

and (ms = mail-server)

file://alsvid.une.edu.au!wnet!ms/internet-drafts/draft-ietf-uri-url-00.txt

Request to a 'normal' mail-server results in a ftp fetch of the file in
question which is impossible in a non-tcp/ip world but using the above
syntax I've been able to get and put files under limited test conditions
with pure uucp hosts.

There is also a quality about some alex and uri paths that I haven't seen
addressed and that's something like a 'master' copy (is this what a URN
is meant to represent ?). In an alex world there is no need for me to
keep a copy (cache) of any file other than to retrieve it to my local
computer interface for 'viewing' and as soon as the 'master' copy is
updated then my local copy is junk anyway.

Summary, URIs make sense to me for describing where objects can be found
and what type of service is needed to display the info but for access-type
'file:' I'm finding 'alex-paths' are far more 'natural' to live with as
most of the typical unix tools apply straight off the bat without any extra
translation, ie; ls, cp, rm(?), du etc.

BTW if you haven't experienced 'alex' then anon-ftp archie.au, cd alex.
Better still (if you can) mount alex in your home dir and go for a
'walk' around the world, I'm sure you will be impressed :).

. Regards, . . . . .
: Mark Constable : mconstab@alsvid.une.edu.au : LocalNet : +61 66 802584 :PGP:
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