Dave Tweed wrote: > Gerhard Fiedler >> Dave Tweed wrote: >>> However, this problem is so prevalent that other browsers, such as IE >>> and Opera, automatically translate '\' to '/' before sending a URL back >>> to the server, thereby hiding the underlying problem. >> >> ... and making it work. I'm in general all for programs "making it work", >> and consider this as "doing what it should, really" :) > > So, you're a "two wrongs make a right" and "the end justifies the means" > type of person? I hope this was a joke without a smiley... There is no relationship to what I wrote, and even if there were, it's quite a long shot to make assumptions about my personality from one remark about what I expect from a program. (In case someone wants to misinterpret this remark, it does not answer the question.) >> Is there any disadvantage to the behavior of IE, Opera and the like? > > Well, obviously, it makes it impossible to send a backslash to the > server in the case where it really wants one. That's the only disadvantage I could come up with, but I haven't seen a file or directory name with a backslash in it so far. AFAIK, in the position the backslash was in the URL in question it wouldn't have been a legal backslash, at least not for So I'm not sure whether this is really a disadvantage. > Actually, if they're doing it right, they're making two requests -- one > with the backslashes as originally specified, and then only when that > fails, flipping them to forward slashes and trying again. If they do that, is there a disadvantage left? (For the user, not for a web developer -- a web developer can use whatever tool is adequate for checking correctness.) FWIW, what Firefox does is at least a bit odd. Take a normal, working URL and replace a slash with %2F, for example http://server/dir1/dir2%2Fdocument.ext. Chances are that you get an error page back stating that "document /dir1/dir2/document.ext can't be found on this server" -- knowing that document /dir1/dir2/document.ext does exist. While formally correct, it's still odd for the unsuspecting user and not really user-friendly. Gerhard -- http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive View/change your membership options at http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist