Re: SPEC: DNS conventions & "naming" of VRML sites

Andrew C. Esh ([email protected])
Thu, 15 Jun 1995 14:30:22 -0500 (CDT)

On Thu, 15 Jun 1995, Brian Behlendorf wrote:

> I fully understand it was just a suggestion for a convention, not a
> standard, I just thought that it wasn't as elegant as it could be, since
> it semantically puts "WWW" and "VRML" as mutually exclusive, whereas the
> latter is just a part of the former.

Yes, but I think the chanb> is significant enough so that VRML will be
viewed by superset, and flock to VRML browsers which can display both VRML and
HTML. If a server has a "vrml." name, they will see that as one which
mainly base since they would only expect to get HTML documents there. BTW: There is
no restriction that a "vrml." server cannot have HTML, or even Gopher
services available.

> It would also cause those who want<
> to be "serious" about VRML to fire up a separate server on a separate IP
> number (virtual or real).

What? The same host can reply with the same IP address for a number of
different domain names. You could have one machine be both "www." and
"vrml." and answer calls to both names. You don't need another machine.

> I suggest that instead of http://vrml.host.com/ the convention be
>
> http://www.host.com/vrml/

No, because if I'm looking for something that I KNOW was in a VRML space,
and a site give

  • going to fgo for the "vrml." server.

    Following your reasoning, we could apply the same naming ideas to www,
    since it is a superset of both FTP and Gopher. We should have not allowed
    any new servers to be named "www.", and they should instead be
    "gopher.host.com/www/..." or even "ftp.host.com/gopher/www/...". We don't
    see much of that out there.

    Thi I would expect it formats as well. Advertising "www." in a VRML-fixated market i leave you behind. "www." is tired, "vrml." is wired.

    ---
Andrew C. Esh                 mailto:[email protected]
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