Fw: FTP clients and MIME types

[David Reid <ab...@dial.pipex.com>]

This cropped up in a discussion group for BeOS.  

>Subject: Re: FTP clients and MIME types


> >Not to look to far ahead but I've already thought about this for Solo.  
> I'm
> >planning on implementing server side commands that return a file's 
> mime type.  Then
> >it would be up to the client programmers to use the information in 
> their programs.
> >Anyone think this sounds like a good idea?
> >
> 
> Yes, and _PLEASE_ file an RFC addendum to the FTP RFC. This way there 
> will be a high chance of other OS's (such as all of the Unix clones out 
> there) picking up the mime type sniff command. IF you don't do this, 
> then you'll just be making a little-known proprietary hack on the 
> protocol, and that would be a bad idea.
> 

Re: Fw: FTP clients and MIME types

[Gregory A Lundberg <lu...@vr.net>]

On Thu, Dec 09, 1999 at 08:43:27PM -0000, David Reid wrote:

> > > Not to look to far ahead but I've already thought about this for
> > > Solo.  I'm planning on implementing server side commands that return
> > > a file's mime type.  Then it would be up to the client programmers to
> > > use the information in their programs.  Anyone think this sounds like
> > > a good idea?

The IETF FTP Working Group does.

> > Yes, and _PLEASE_ file an RFC addendum to the FTP RFC. This way there
> > will be a high chance of other OS's (such as all of the Unix clones out
> > there) picking up the mime type sniff command. IF you don't do this,
> > then you'll just be making a little-known proprietary hack on the
> > protocol, and that would be a bad idea.

If you've already done any server-side commands, you should take a look at
the current specification and consider re-implementing them if you want any
clients to use them.

  http://www.wu-ftpd.org/rfc/draft-ietf-ftpext-mlst-09.txt

or

  ftp://ftp.ietf.org/internet-drafts/draft-ietf-ftpext-mlst-09.txt

MIME types are a "Standard Fact".  They may or may not be present.  If
present, they must conform to the IANA-approved list of type names.

While you're at it, you should notice that language negotiation is, too
some extent, also possible.  For this, in addition to the MLST draft, you
should also take a look at RFC 2640, "Internationalization of the File
Transfer Protocol".

The site

  http://www.wu-ftpd.org/rfc/

contains a complete list of the FTP RFCs.  (Well, nearly complete.  I'm
told there's another URL RFC I should include.)  If you don't want to
browse the site, or have a local mirror of the RFCs, the complete list of
current RFCs which define the FTP is: 959, 1123, 1579, 1635, 1738, 1808,
2228, 2415, 2428, 2577 and 2640.

The MLST draft just underwent a major change (splitting a feature out for a
separate draft).  Other than that, it is fairly mature and should be
progressing to submission to the RFC Editor.  The other FTP-related IETF
drafts have, by now, expired and are not expected to progress to
submission.

-- 

Gregory A Lundberg              WU-FTPD Development Group
1441 Elmdale Drive              lundberg@wu-ftpd.org
Kettering, OH 45409-1615 USA    1-800-809-2195