Re: HTTP, WebDAV, and POST

[jpanzer@xxxxxxx (John Panzer)]

Ken MacLeod wrote:

> ...
>
> * Although WebDAV does not use POST, there does not seem to be any
>   conflict in Atom specifying POST for creating server-located
>   resources and at some point using WebDAV actions on the resources
>   after they've been created.
>  
+1.  I think of these as two separate things that happen to go well 
together, like chocolate and peanut butter:

(a) Simple creation of resources through binary POST in which the server 
has complete control of the final URI (option #6);
(b) WebDAV -- or something upwardly compatible with WebDAV -- which 
allows for client-controlled URIs, moving, deleting, locking, etc.

I think (a) is useful on its own and would also interoperate well with 
(b) or any competing proposals.  (a) is easily implementable by any 
server that supports resources at all.  (b) might be a bit more 
difficult but provides more capabilities.  I'd like to see each one 
considered separately, as Mark Nottingham suggested.

> * Additionally supporting PUT-to-create for arbitrary resources (in
>   the current discussion), and for entries (separate discussion)
>   positions Atom to be upwardly compatible with WebDAV.
>  
+1. 

Ken's PaceNonEntryResources proposal combines both (a) and (b):

http://bitsko.slc.ut.us/blog/atom-non-entry-resources.html
http://intertwingly.net/wiki/pie/PaceNonEntryResources

I like the proposal and Ken's comments[*], but I'd like to see the 
simple creation part broken out into its own PaceSimpleResourceCreation, 
based on the Option #6 discussion, and with the details about the upload 
capability in particular.  I think that PaceNonEntryResources overlaps 
with this somewhat; any objections if I write PaceSimpleResourceCreation 
and we have the two cross-reference each other?

-John Panzer
http://journals.aol.com/panzerjohn/abstractioneer

[*] How could I not, they help spread the cat picture meme.