[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

app:accept and Atom entry MIME type



Here's an issue we came across in reviewing the CMIS spec and I wanted to draw the atom-protocol community's attention to it and solicit feedback.

Synopsis:

CMIS is a fairly sophisticated AtomPub extension. A CMIS server will advertise collections that are writable using the same mechanisms we all know and use, i.e., app:accept. Some CMIS servers, though, further restrict the atom:entry documents that they will successfully process for POST requests. Others may accept any valid Atom entry. I have blogged about the consequences of such diverse behavior [1, 2] and the basic problem is that a client would not know the nice kind from the restrictive kind of CMIS server.

Solutions:

The basic question is whether, for standard AtomPub clients that don't understand any CMIS extensions, there is benefit to receiving better app:accept advertisements. In other words, is there some additional information about app:accept that will help clients better determine whether a request is likely to be accepted by the server. I know there is no must-understand extension mechanism for app:collection, so I don't know what would be the best alternative:

1. Use a new MIME type parameter on app:accept for the Atom entry content type
2. Use a new attribute on app:accept
3. Use an extension element in app:collection to identify CMIS requirements

Why should you care? 

Of course, there are many AtomPub servers out there that wouldn't accept any arbitrary valid atom:content but CMIS is a case that is quite close to blogging and that is being standardized (publicly, if I may say so). This is an opportunity for the atom-protocol community to weigh in on the consequence of how AtomPub advertisements are used in CMIS. 

As a disclaimer, I am not a member of the CMIS TC, although Oracle is.

Nikunj
http://o-micron.blogspot.com

[1] CMIS II: (C)MISsing good old AtomPub
[2] CMIS X: Is CMIS a good AtomPub citizen?