(update with re-formulated PHP)

The W3C Tutorial relating to content negotiation
http://www.w3.org/2003/01/xhtml-mime...nt-negotiation mostly
relates to Apache. I am working on content-negotiation for my Zeus/3.4
Server. My interim goal is to serve XHTML 1.0 documents as Content-Type
application/xhtml+xml -- with XML declaration -- to Firefox browsers
and as text/html-- without XML declaration (in order to render in
"standards" mode) -- to MSIE browsers.

I have constructed a test page http://www.jp29.org/indexbak.php (a
replication of my de facto Home page http://www.jp29.org/ which is
served as html 4.01) that I am attempting to serve as
application/xhtml+xml in my Firefox 1.0.6 browser and as Content-Type:
text/html in my MSIE 6.0 browser.

Checks of my test page served as XHTML 1.0 (strict) Content-Type
application/xhtml+xml -- with XML declaration -- in my Firefox 1.0.6
browser:

Firefox Tools/Web Developer/Information/Vew Page Information/View
Response Headers

W3C Validator in Verbose mode --
http://validator.w3.org/check?verbos...g/indexbak.php


Web Caching -- http://www.web-caching.com/showheaders.html

(Added: O'Reilly RUWF facility at
http://www.xml.com/pub/a/tools/ruwf/check.html -- for XML being "well
formed").

The test page renders as XHTML 1.0 (strict) Content-Type text/html --
without XML declaration -- for me in my MSIE 6.0 browser.

I solicit comments on the validity of my exercise -- and comments in
general.

--
James Pickering

In article <1124236843.128891.323240@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups .com>,
"James Pickering" <jp29@cox.net> wrote:
[color=blue]
> My interim goal is to serve XHTML 1.0 documents as Content-Type
> application/xhtml+xml -- with XML declaration -- to Firefox browsers
> and as text/html-- without XML declaration (in order to render in
> "standards" mode) -- to MSIE browsers.[/color]

Why?

Wouldn't it be simpler and more cacheable to serve HTML 4.01 to all UAs?

--
Henri Sivonen
hsivonen@iki.fi
http://hsivonen.iki.fi/
Mozilla Web Author FAQ: http://mozilla.org/docs/web-developer/faq.html

Henri Sivonen wrote:[color=blue]
> In article <1124236843.128891.323240@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups .com>,
> "James Pickering" <jp29@cox.net> wrote:
>[color=green]
> > My interim goal is to serve XHTML 1.0 documents as Content-Type
> > application/xhtml+xml -- with XML declaration -- to Firefox browsers
> > and as text/html-- without XML declaration (in order to render in
> > "standards" mode) -- to MSIE browsers.[/color]
>
> Why?
>
> Wouldn't it be simpler and more cacheable to serve HTML 4.01 to all UAs?[/color]

Yes -- that is what I do. This is just an exercise to see if I can
effect Content-Negotiation for the Zeus server as requested in the W3C
document relating to this subject.

James Pickering

Henri Sivonen wrote:
[color=blue]
> Why?[/color]

Because it's there?

This is obviously currently a pointless exercise. I wouldn't do it
myself - personally I'd serve Appendix C to everyone. But none of this
is a reason why it _shouldn't_ be done.

Actually it's an interesting exercise to serve real XML-XHTML to those
that can take it - it would avoid the ugly hack of hiding my embedded
RDF metadata away as comments in the header. James and I do seem to be
the only people still pursuing that route 8-)


FF1.0.6 seems to be working perfectly for me.

In article <1124270153.338324.96550@g49g2000cwa.googlegroups. com>,
dingbat@codesmiths.com wrote:
[color=blue]
> But none of this
> is a reason why it _shouldn't_ be done.[/color]

However, see
http://www.mozilla.org/docs/web-deve...aq.html#accept
[color=blue]
> Actually it's an interesting exercise to serve real XML-XHTML to those
> that can take it - it would avoid the ugly hack of hiding my embedded
> RDF metadata away as comments in the header.[/color]

RDF in comments "parsed" with regexps is so bogus it is not even funny.

--
Henri Sivonen
hsivonen@iki.fi
http://hsivonen.iki.fi/
Mozilla Web Author FAQ: http://mozilla.org/docs/web-developer/faq.html

Henri Sivonen wrote:[color=blue]
> In article <1124270153.338324.96550@g49g2000cwa.googlegroups. com>,
> dingbat@codesmiths.com wrote:
>[color=green]
> > But none of this
> > is a reason why it _shouldn't_ be done.[/color]
>
> However, see
> http://www.mozilla.org/docs/web-deve...aq.html#accept[/color]

That is very interesting. It seems that the W3C and Mozilla need to get
together on this -- I will post the link on the W3C QA Forum for
commentary.

--

James Pickering
http://www.jp29.org/

dingbat@codesmiths.com wrote:
[color=blue]
> Actually it's an interesting exercise to serve real XML-XHTML to those
> that can take it - it would avoid the ugly hack of hiding my embedded
> RDF metadata away as comments in the header.[/color]

If you're mixing RDF and (X)HTML, what you want is the relevant
Namespace modules to filter them on the fly. See for example
http://www.xml.com/pub/a/2004/12/15/...amespaces.html

--
Nick Kew

Following are the HTTP Request and Response Headers for my Content
Negotiation test page http://www.jp29.org/indexbak.php

Firefox 1.0.6 browser:

http://web-sniffer.net/?url=http%3A%...iffer%2F1.0.21


MSIE 6.0 browser:

http://web-sniffer.net/?url=http%3A%...iffer%2F1.0.21

--
James Pickering
http://www.jp29.org/

Two useful resources for those contemplating XHTML 1.0 Content
Negotiation:

http://web-sniffer.net
http://www.httpwatch.com/httpgallery/default.htm

--
James Pickering
http://jp29.org/indexbak.php
XHTML 1.0 Content negotiation test

Update ..........

Objective: To serve XHTML 1.0 documents as Content-Type
application/xhtml+xml -- with XML declaration -- to browsers that
recognize that MIME type and as text/html-- without XML declaration (in
order to render in "standards" mode) -- to other browsers.

Web-Sniffer -- View HTTP Request and Response Header -- reports for
http://www.jp29.org/indexbak.php served as XHTML 1.0 via
Content-Negotiation:

FireFox 1.0.6 -- MIME Type application/xhtml+xml:
http://web-sniffer.net/?url=http%3A%...iffer%2F1.0.21

MSIE 6.0 -- MIME Type text/html:
http://web-sniffer.net/?url=http%3A%...iffer%2F1.0.21

Netscape Navigator 4.08 -- MIME Type text/html:
http://web-sniffer.net/?url=http%3A%...iffer%2F1.0.21

Opera 8.02 -- MIME Type application/xhtml+xml:
http://web-sniffer.net/?url=http%3A%...iffer%2F1.0.21

--
James Pickering
http://www.jp29.org/indexbak.php
Content Negotiation test