Protocol Action: MIME Encapsulation of Macintosh files - MacMIME to Proposed Standard & MIME Content Type for BinHex encoded files as Informational

[IESG Secretary <[e-mail]>]

The IESG has approved the Internet-Draft "MIME Encapsulation of
Macintosh files - MacMIME" <draft-faltstrom-macmime1-01.txt, .ps> as a
Proposed Standard with some minor editorial changes that the authors
have agreed to make. This document has been reviewed in the IETF but is
not the product of an IETF Working Group. The IESG contact person is
John Klensin.

The IESG has also reviewed the Internet-Draft "MIME Content Type for
BinHex encoded files" <draft-faltstrom-macmime2-00.txt, .ps> and
recommends that it be published by the RFC Editor as an Informational
RFC.


Technical Summary

This proposal provides a general mechanism for sending Macintosh files
in email as MIME files, using a special content-subtype construction.

There is widespread demand for a standardized format for mailing
Macintosh format files on the network. These files are more difficult
than most text or applications one because they incorporate data (the
"data fork") and description (the "resource fork") as two separate
elements, rather than simply using an undescribed data file. The
importance of that machine and this format justifies both the IETF
investment in review of proposals and standardizing the result.


Working Group Summary

Prior versions of this proposal and competing proposals were reviewed
by the 822 Extensions WG before it shut down and on the mailing list
established by that WG. A previous, but very similar, proposal was
reviewed by an ad hoc review committee convened by the IETF
Applications Area Directors at the Houston IETF.  The present draft
incorporates the conclusions from that review. The draft reflects
general agreement about the right solutions to a number of difficult
problems identified in discussions of the early proposals.


Protocol Quality

John Klensin reviewed this proposal for the IESG. Other IESG members
have reviewed the document, and Dave Crocker has made significant
technical contributions to it as well as reviewing it. In addition to
being important in its own right, the proposal is consistent with an
evolving model for handling data in MIME that should be represented in
multiple, related, body parts.

Several implementations are under development or being tested. The
nature of MIME body parts is such that the ability to implement is not
a critical test; the critical tests lie in more subtle issues such as
practical usability.

Note to RFC Editor:

  The document authors will provide textual changes to the
  Internet-Draft, which will be reviewed by Klensin and Bradner.