Re: [media-types] Mime type for patch files?

[Petter Reinholdtsen <[e-mail]>]

[Clemens Ladisch]
> Pretty much all version control systems can generate patches.  However,
> the default output typcially does not rely on MIME type detection but
> uses custom formatting (in a GUI, or in HTML).  As far as I can see,
> the only place where the MIME type might matter are e-mail
> attachments.

It also matter for downloading from web sites and selecting files in a
Linux/unix file browsers, where the user can get a patch viewer instead
of a text editor. :)

> As it happens, cgit deliberately returns "text/plain" (e.g.,
> <http://git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/patch.git/patch/?id=HEAD>).

While the Debian source service hand out patches
using 'text/x-diff', as can be seen from
<URL: https://sources.debian.org/data/main/c/conv-tools/20160905-1/debian/patches/autoreconf-buildable.patch >.

There is no doubt that both the mime types are in use, so the question
is really which one to choose as the official one, unless creating a new
one is better.  It will take time for a registered MIME type to gain
tracktion no matter which one we pick, but of course by picking one of
the used ones, we get a head start with existing users. :)

-- 
Happy hacking
Petter Reinholdtsen