On 2013-10-30 09:51, "Martin J. Dürst" wrote:
I have to say that I don't consider this sentence to be useless. As far as I remember, there are other specs (mail?) that say that text/plain is the default. So some implementers may be used to this, and apply it to http, too. Also, while every natural language text has to assume that the reader uses a certain amount of rational thinking, specs are usually written with a somewhat reduced expectation in that respect, not because the average reader is particularly dumb, but because the consequences of interpreting something wrong are different than the consequences of getting something wrong when e.g. reading a novel. So I don't see any reason for not keeping that sentence. Even if it doesn't help, it definitely doesn't hurt.
So what exactly does it mean in *practice* to treat something as "arbitrary data". What do you expect a browser to do in that case?
Best regards, Julian