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Re: REST has too many verbs

• To: simonstl@s... (Simon St.Laurent)
• Subject: Re: REST has too many verbs
• From: Mark Baker <distobj@a...>
• Date: Mon, 11 Feb 2002 19:53:06 -0500 (EST)
• Cc: xml-dev@l...
• In-reply-to: <1013468347.1027.199.camel@l...> from "Simon St.Laurent" at Feb 11, 2002 05:59:06 PM

> Exchanging information outside of a function framework seems to me like
> a more likely field for continuing improvement.

You have three choices when exchanging information;

1. agree on the intent of the exchange out-of-band
2. agree on the intent of the exchange in-band
3. derive the intent

#1 typically has poor evolvability characterisitcs, as new intents can
not easily be introduced.  For example, if we required HTTP to use port
port 80 for GET, 81 for POST, and 82 for PUT, then there's no way that a
proxy or server would ever receive an extension method because it
wouldn't know what port to listen to for it.

#3 is a security nightmare.

#2 treats the intent of the message as an integral part of the message,
and it's therefore easier to provide a path for the protocol to evolve.
This is the approach taken by all application protocols I know about.
I don't see any need to stray from this approach, because it's proven
itself since the Internet began (not just in app protocols either - TCP
uses it).

MB
-- 
Mark Baker, Chief Science Officer, Planetfred, Inc.
Ottawa, Ontario, CANADA.      mbaker@p...
http://www.markbaker.ca   http://www.planetfred.com

• Follow-Ups:
  • RE: REST has too many verbs
    • From: Bill de hÓra <dehora@e...>
  • Re: REST has too many verbs
    • From: "Simon St.Laurent" <simonstl@s...>

• References:
  • Re: REST has too many verbs
    • From: "Simon St.Laurent" <simonstl@s...>

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