Re: Content-length header (was Re: request for new forms...)
Tony Sanders (sanders@bsdi.com)
Tue, 12 Oct 1993 13:18:00 -0500
> I know HTTP isn't SMTP, but I feel compelled to point out that the
> Content-Length header is not blessed by any standard.
It is in the HTTP standard, which explictly requires a full "BINARY"
transport system. Mail based transports will have to encode/decode
BASE64 on either end.
> In fact, there is no
> definition. The MIME working group explicitly decided NOT to include such a
> header in MIME, because it could not be made to work correctly over the
> variety of mail transports in existance.
That's a stupid reason (restrict the software because current systems are
broken), but it still doesn't affect HTTP.
--sanders