Re: [apps-discuss] the need for acct (was: Re: Looking at Webfinger)

"Paul E. Jones" <paulej@packetizer.com> Thu, 05 July 2012 03:28 UTC

Return-Path: <paulej@packetizer.com>
X-Original-To: apps-discuss@ietfa.amsl.com
Delivered-To: apps-discuss@ietfa.amsl.com
Received: from localhost (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by ietfa.amsl.com (Postfix) with ESMTP id 51B6721F8491 for <apps-discuss@ietfa.amsl.com>; Wed, 4 Jul 2012 20:28:03 -0700 (PDT)
X-Virus-Scanned: amavisd-new at amsl.com
X-Spam-Flag: NO
X-Spam-Score: -2.564
X-Spam-Level:
X-Spam-Status: No, score=-2.564 tagged_above=-999 required=5 tests=[AWL=0.035, BAYES_00=-2.599]
Received: from mail.ietf.org ([12.22.58.30]) by localhost (ietfa.amsl.com [127.0.0.1]) (amavisd-new, port 10024) with ESMTP id 7BZOs7jm+piM for <apps-discuss@ietfa.amsl.com>; Wed, 4 Jul 2012 20:28:02 -0700 (PDT)
Received: from dublin.packetizer.com (dublin.packetizer.com [75.101.130.125]) by ietfa.amsl.com (Postfix) with ESMTP id 9327D21F848F for <apps-discuss@ietf.org>; Wed, 4 Jul 2012 20:28:02 -0700 (PDT)
Received: from sydney (rrcs-98-101-148-48.midsouth.biz.rr.com [98.101.148.48]) (authenticated bits=0) by dublin.packetizer.com (8.14.5/8.14.5) with ESMTP id q653SDEV024161 (version=TLSv1/SSLv3 cipher=AES128-SHA bits=128 verify=NO); Wed, 4 Jul 2012 23:28:13 -0400
DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=simple/simple; d=packetizer.com; s=dublin; t=1341458894; bh=Xnw+nolTBGfeKdnvtS8+eicPs6t+C0JZPkORTRwGZj8=; h=From:To:Cc:References:In-Reply-To:Subject:Date:Message-ID: MIME-Version:Content-Type:Content-Transfer-Encoding; b=W1QxQ/4B6lnsiskgdGp8YxoJp/57l2BAms+bSyYmnX/mHr9/ErxByKE1UQTAOMVif cH2DN6cmmpVdWXZ4nh9CW+jrEBrNe46UFDU4KGSNq+y94Dn9A3UjamWGxEWVoZsNdz GAuih2HWdRzrl6XhpGTVia6J4kGEpbWdUlQESqBw=
From: "Paul E. Jones" <paulej@packetizer.com>
To: 'Peter Saint-Andre' <stpeter@stpeter.im>, 'Phillip Hallam-Baker' <hallam@gmail.com>
References: <F80C8C9C-7AB8-4B7E-BFD2-4D69499D21A1@mnot.net> <CA+aD3u1jGgLJPJp8XR=FWH_3dnhogqNfbdm2a0P8VOuL=FJv3Q@mail.gmail.com> <CAMm+LwjaH0-74cuWqJ6B4JW1QdHtzg3C1W62mVjDHvmSMhMuVA@mail.gmail.com> <4FF31849.6040504@stpeter.im>
In-Reply-To: <4FF31849.6040504@stpeter.im>
Date: Wed, 04 Jul 2012 23:28:21 -0400
Message-ID: <068101cd5a5e$3ac3ab60$b04b0220$@packetizer.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook 14.0
Thread-Index: AQFb3Wt68HpLZ7ZyHnoKMrZHlzcyBQNisEMVAc3igXICMDM2MJfB+v4A
Content-Language: en-us
Cc: 'Mark Nottingham' <mnot@mnot.net>, 'IETF Apps Discuss' <apps-discuss@ietf.org>
Subject: Re: [apps-discuss] the need for acct (was: Re: Looking at Webfinger)
X-BeenThere: apps-discuss@ietf.org
X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.12
Precedence: list
List-Id: General discussion of application-layer protocols <apps-discuss.ietf.org>
List-Unsubscribe: <https://www.ietf.org/mailman/options/apps-discuss>, <mailto:apps-discuss-request@ietf.org?subject=unsubscribe>
List-Archive: <http://www.ietf.org/mail-archive/web/apps-discuss>
List-Post: <mailto:apps-discuss@ietf.org>
List-Help: <mailto:apps-discuss-request@ietf.org?subject=help>
List-Subscribe: <https://www.ietf.org/mailman/listinfo/apps-discuss>, <mailto:apps-discuss-request@ietf.org?subject=subscribe>
X-List-Received-Date: Thu, 05 Jul 2012 03:28:03 -0000

Peter,

> > If I click on an acct: link in a browser I would have a range of
> > possible options:
> >    * Grab the public WebFinger data
> >    * Grab the profile data exposed to me by virtue of me being a friend.
> >    * Attempt to connect on chat
> 
> Don't we have xmpp: for that?

Yeah, but this would be the means through which one might discover a
person's XMPP URI.

 
> >    * Attempt to send an email
> 
> Don't we have mailto: for that?

Ditto.

> You're saying that acct: would be a general identifier and that
> applications could attempt many different kinds of interactions with that
> account, using specific protocols like SMTP or XMPP. But deciding whether
> to attempt such interactions would depend on knowing if the service
> provider actually offers email service, IM service, public profiles,
> microblogging, etc. Presumably that information could be discovered via
> WebFinger (for a particular account), but I wouldn't assume that one can
> send email to an account simply because an acct: URI exists.

I personally would not assume this is the means through which clients launch
applications, but the means through which one discovers the modalities of
communication possible and the URIs associated with those modalities.

Paul