# Re: FTP handling suggestion

Tim Berners-Lee (tbl@www0.cern.ch)
Wed, 31 Aug 94 15:54:40 +0100

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    Date: Wed, 31 Aug 94 15:54:40 +0100

    From: Tim Berners-Lee <tbl@www0.cern.ch>

    Message-Id: <9408311454.AA02482@ptpc00.cern.ch>

    To: John Ockerbloom <spok+@CS.CMU.EDU>

    Subject: Re: FTP handling suggestion

> I therefore suggest that implementors of clients for this protocol
> fall back on the old ftp: retrieval semantics if a failure is detected
> while attempting to change directories using the new semantics.
...
> John Ockerbloom

Why wait to fall back on it? You can alternatively try the old method
first (ie guess that it's unix and try a direct RETR of the whole path)
and fall back on the proper method. That's what is in fact hinted at
in the spec. (And what the latest libwww does.)

Tim

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