Re: [squid-users] "_" (underline) in website names

Stefan Berg wrote:

> Hi,
>
> check out the RFC 2396 - it states that the underscore isn't allowed as part
> of hostname in an URL. So squid is simply being standard compliant.

 ---
    Squid is not just being standard compliant -- it is being standard enforcing.
There's a difference.

    Since squid is not *generating* hostnames, but simply taking user hostnames
as input and attempting to look them up, I'm of the opinion that it shouldn't
be chiding the user for a hostname they type in. Let DNS decide and return
"host not found", if it decides the name is invalid. Since DNS is the authority
for name repositories -- it should be up to DNS to enforce what is allowed as
content in its host database.

    It's a design philosophy -- put the validity check in those apps which
generate (are able to "write" hostnames) -- not just those with "read" access to
the host database -- since readers, like squid, can't enforce policy. If they
try to they run the risk of becoming the lame duck that's around after a decision
to allow it has already been made.

    It's like the old 'schoolmarms' who'd tell their students "ain't" isn't in
the dictionary so it isn't a word. It was a word -- the documentation was behind
actual practice. Or the Miss Peabody's of the world proclaiming to never end a
sentence with a proposition. What would any right speaker do that for? It's
now accepted with most authorities that it is acceptable to say "Who were you with?"
and that "With whom were you?" actually sounds weird. But I remember one or two of
my pre-high school teachers passing on the old standard because they were 'old apps'
that hadn't adapted.

    I'd feel the defaults on that config should be reversed. The reverse can be
called "--RFC2396-strict" like for those that want "posix-strict" in a "C" compiler.
The help explanation can be that "this option will deny users access to existing
hostnames that don't follow the original letter of RFC2396. If you enable this
don't come crying to me that your users are complaining about inaccessible websites."

    Can someone explain to me the benefit to squid *users* of enforcing this? By
users I mean cache-clients as well as sites choosing to use squid.

thanks,
-linda
Received on Fri May 18 2001 - 08:53:26 MDT