Subject: an edit for easy reading on 5.4.1 "byte ranges"

From: Dale Anderson <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 26 Aug 2011 13:29:48 -0700

A potential good edit on part 5:
 - In eighth paragraph of 5.4.1 "byte ranges"

"""
   If a syntactically valid byte-range-set includes at least one byte-
   range-spec whose first-byte-pos is less than the current length of
   the representation, or at least one suffix-byte-range-spec with a
   non-zero suffix-length, then the byte-range-set is satisfiable.
   Otherwise, the byte-range-set is unsatisfiable.  If the byte-range-
   set is unsatisfiable, the server SHOULD return a response with a 416
   (Requested range not satisfiable) status code.  Otherwise, the server
   SHOULD return a response with a 206 (Partial Content) status code
   containing the satisfiable ranges of the representation.
"""

I would paragraph break that after "Otherwise, the byte-range-set is
unsatisfiable" and consider changing the first recommendation to
address the satisfiable condition instead of unsatisfiable, and make
it two short paragraphs, like this.

"""
   If a syntactically valid byte-range-set includes at least one byte-
   range-spec whose first-byte-pos is less than the current length of
   the representation, or at least one suffix-byte-range-spec with a
   non-zero suffix-length, then the byte-range-set is satisfiable.
   Otherwise, the byte-range-set is unsatisfiable.

   If the byte-range-set the server
   SHOULD return a response with a 206 (Partial Content) status code
   containing the satisfiable ranges of the representation.

   If the byte-range-set is unsatisfiable, the server SHOULD return a
response with a 416
   (Requested range not satisfiable) status code.
"""

Just my tech-writing background kicking in there but I think it reads
more clearly.

Regards,

Dale Anderson

---

From: Dale Anderson <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 26 Aug 2011 14:31:48 -0700

Missing a couple words there in my suggestion. Some tech-writing
background, eh? Here's what I meant, sorry 'bout that.

"""

   If the byte-range-set is satisfiable, then the server SHOULD return
   a response with a 206 (Partial Content) status code containing the
   satisfiable ranges of the representation.

   If the byte-range-set is unsatisfiable, then the server SHOULD return
   a response with a 416 (Requested range not satisfiable) status code.
"""

Cheers

Dale Anderson

---

From: Yves Lafon <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 30 Aug 2011 08:46:11 -0400 (EDT)

>   a response with a 416 (Requested range not satisfiable) status code.

The definition of a satifiable range will be reworked soon, in light of 
ticket 311
http://trac.tools.ietf.org/wg/httpbis/trac/ticket/311
and the thread starting at 
https://mail-archives.apache.org/mod_mbox/httpd-dev/201108.mbox/[email-masked]%3E

ex: end of 5.4.1 says
<<
Several legal but not canonical specifications of the second 500
       bytes (byte offsets 500-999, inclusive):

         bytes=500-600,601-999
         bytes=500-700,601-999
So count overlapping ranges as one range only;
In Appendix A:
<<
When an HTTP 206 (Partial Content) response message includes the
    content of multiple ranges (a response to a request for multiple non-
    overlapping ranges), these are transmitted as a multipart message-
    body ([RFC2046], Section 5.1).

So it calls out overlapping range, but more by reference than explicitely, 
and needs to be fixed.
Thanks,

-- 
Baroula que barouleras, au tiéu toujou t'entourneras.

         ~~Yves