# Re: another way of thinking about ftp URLs

John Curran (jcurran@nic.near.net)
Sat, 05 Mar 1994 22:23:06 -0500

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    To: "Rob Raisch, The Internet Company" <raisch@internet.com>

    Subject: Re: another way of thinking about ftp URLs

    In-Reply-To: Your message of Sat, 05 Mar 1994 09:38:11 -0800.

                 <Pine.3.85.9403050910.A29901-0100000@hmmm>

    Date: Sat, 05 Mar 1994 22:23:06 -0500

    From: John Curran <jcurran@nic.near.net>

    Message-Id:  <9403060323.aa25263@nic.near.net>

--------
] From: "Rob Raisch, The Internet Company" <raisch@internet.com>
] Subject: Re: another way of thinking about ftp URLs
] Date: Sat, 5 Mar 1994 09:38:11 -0800 (PST)
]
] Mark, you've hit the nail on the head. We need to step away from the
] idea that URLs will be written by consumers. Soon (?) they will be
] generated by the maintainer of a resource or automatically generated and
] will take their rightful place behind the URN.
]
] I do not believe that a truely ubiquitious ftp URL is possible, unless
] it includes explicit directions for retrieval. This works directly
] against the (false) impression that URLs need to be human readable and
] transcribable.
]
] We really need to return to first principles.
]
] METHOD://LOCATION/INSTRUCITONS_FOR_RETRIEVAL
]
] If we do not, all retrieval engines will need to understand the
] differences between the various ways in which systems store information.
]
] And this would break the one untransgressable law: Thou shalt scale.

I am in strong agreement with Rob, Mark, et. al. with respect to requiring
a clear algorithmic mapping from each URL to the intructions for retrieval,
even if it results in a more complicated encoding.

/John

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