Re: RFC 1524

[Larry Masinter <[e-mail]>]

Well, this isn't quite 'mailcap' but what I would like is something
like:

1) an improved format for what might replace what's in 
   ftp://ftp.isi.edu/in-notes about each registered media type, in a
   way that it can be mechanically processed, and a BCP that asks IANA
   to maintain it.
2) possibly an improved registry of 'operating system type'
3) a standard way that software maintainers can provide records
   that link (1), (2) and their software, a global registry
   of such links, and a way that system administrators 
   can maintain databases of those links.

What I'm encouraging is a focus on "what's kept in the global
registry", and let "what might system maintainers want to keep and
share" be derived from that, not vice-versa. At least, IETF might have
some say over what IANA does, but not as much over what happens inside
some particular operating systems.

> name="Graphic Interchange Format" media-type=image/gif extension=gif
> mac-type=GIFf mac-creator=JVWR unix-helper=xv magic=gif8
> Windows-Helper=whatever ...

Some of the links here are globally true, some are tied to specific
operating system platforms, some might be overridden by particular
system administrators.

Globally, there might be a 
 media type, operating system(s), helper, helper URL
table. 

Globally, there's a
 media type, operating system(s), file extension(s)
link, too, which might also be overriden by particular systems.

This might sound ambitious, but I'm just trying to sort out the
information that's already there.

Larry