# "Local" file access in the URL draft RFC

Peter Lister, Cranfield Computer Centre (P.LISTER@mail.cranfield.ac.uk)
Mon, 26 Jul 93 12:49:59 BST

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    Message-Id: <9307261150.AA04325@xdm039>

    To: uri@bunyip.com

    Subject: "Local" file access in the URL draft RFC

    Date: Mon, 26 Jul 93 12:49:59 BST

    From: "Peter Lister, Cranfield Computer Centre" <P.LISTER@mail.cranfield.ac.uk>

I applaud the removal of the "afs:" URL. However, I mourn the passing
of a URL to a refer to a local file. Using "ftp:" to refer JUST to ftp
is good, but there needs also to be a URL which refers to a file
mounted locally (it may be an AFS/DFS file at another site, but as far
as the client is concerned, it's mounted locally). "ftp://localhost/"
should EITHER connect to the local anon-ftp server OR refer only to
files relative to ~ftp. It should *not* refer to files outside ftp (as
the existing file: URL does). It's damn irritating not being able to
refer to ones's one anon-ftp area!

MidasWWW (haven't used it for ages, so I don't know the current state)
had a "local:" URL, which was great. "file:" has become confused, it's
better dropped.

Peter Lister p.lister@cranfield.ac.uk
Computer Centre,
Cranfield Institute of Technology, Voice: +44 234 754200 ext 2828
Cranfield, Bedfordshire MK43 0AL England Fax: +44 234 750875

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