> > So for example, the client could send a list of pre-defined
formats to
> > the server (e.g. IMG, TeX, PostScript, etc), and then the server
can
> > choose among different formats of the same item embedded in the
> > document to give the client what it can handle.
> ...
> The new version of HTTP (HTRQ/V1.0) does indeed specify how clients
> can signal the server which formats they can support, although I
don't
> know of anyone using this facility as yet.
The httpd server 2.0 and above and all browsers using the www
library 2.0 and above support this feature. The server
at CERN for example supports it. If you run the www
line mode brwser even with DISPLAY set to point to an
X display it will launch ghostview or xv. So will (I
suppose) tkWWW for example. XMosaic doesn't do it but will
one day, when a lot of confusion will cease.
On the server side, in the current implementation, the
dummy suffix ".multi" means "Whatever file of this name
and any suffix which I can handle and you think best".
There are a few examples in the test file
http://info.cern.ch/hypertext/WWW/Test/Overview.html
Tim Berners-Lee