Subject: [apps-discuss] Protocol elements and presentation elements (was: Issue #5 of 3987bis)

From: "Martin J. Dürst" <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 23 Oct 2010 06:16:11 +0900

draft-ietf-iri-3987bis-02.txt currently contains the following text:

URIs are used both as a protocol element (for transmission and	
processing by software) and also a presentation element (for display	
and handling by people who read, interpret, coin, or guess them).

My personal understanding of the distinction between 'presentation 
elements' and 'protocol elements' was that this terminology has been 
used for different things, not for different roles of the same thing.

As an example, one would speak of an IDN as a presentation element, 
whereas the punycode form was the corresponding protocol element. Or one 
would speak of an IRI as a presentation element when the URI (e.g. on 
HTTP) was the protocol element. (of course, an IRI can also be a 
protocol element)

I'm wondering what other people think about changing the use to speak 
about different roles of the same thing. Have you thought about it in 
these terms all along anyway? Or is it a new use, but doesn't hurt? Or 
is it at least somewhat confusing?

Regards,    Martin.
-- 
#-# Martin J. Dürst, Professor, Aoyama Gakuin University
#-# http://www.sw.it.aoyama.ac.jp   mailto:[email-masked]