Re: Quality problems - AGREE!

Matt Timmermans/MSL (Matt_Timmermans@msl.isis.org)
Fri, 15 Apr 1994 05:17:11 -0400


Another suggestion for keeping links in the Web up to date: How about a
cooperative system?

The document at the end of any URL could optionally supply a pointer to a
notification server.

When someone creates a link to the document, he could mail the server a
notification request in a form similar to:

!NOTIFICATION REQUEST: URL-UPDATE <URL> <address>
^ ^ ^
Request Current Who to Notify
Type URL when it changes

It is assumed that whoever maintains the document can update the notification
server. When a document moves, the notification server mails all the addresses
who want URL-UPDATE notifications a message like:

!NOTIFICATION: URL-UPDATE <URL> <URL>
^ ^
Previous URL New URL

Upon receiving notification, the receiver updates all of his documents to
reflect the change.

The advantage of such a system is that nobody has to waste time and bandwidth
testing all of their links, most of which would be just fine. Also, nobody is
_required_ to implement anything, and nobody gets sent anything they don't ask
for.

As the number of notification servers and receivers increases, Web documents
would become silently, transparently, more reliable.

</Matt>

Matt Timmermans | Phone: +1 613 727-5696
Microstar Software Ltd. | Fax: +1 613 727-9491
34 Colonnade Rd. North | BBS: +1 613 727-5272
Nepean Ontario CANADA K2E-7J6 | E-mail: mtimmerm@msl.isis.org