Re: [media-types] Thoughts on suffixes, single and multiple

[Manu Sporny <[e-mail]>]

On Sat, Apr 6, 2024 at 9:37 PM Mark Nottingham <[e-mail]> wrote:
> > On 6 Apr 2024, at 23:24, Manu Sporny <[e-mail]> wrote:
> > * Syntax suffix pattern (+json, +xml)
> > * Container suffix pattern (+zip, +jwt)
> > * Multiple suffix pattern (vc+ld+json, did+ld+json)
> >
> > I can take an action to do that if folks are supportive.
>
> I think that's workable, and will try to help. I suspect we're going to end up with text something like:
>
> ...
>
> And so on.

Yep, all that sounds aligned with what I was thinking.

I'll also note that there are just two registrations of +gzip (that
didn't feel compelling, calling into question the value of +gzip as a
structured suffix), but 27 registrations of +zip (many of which seemed
to depend on it for its "container" properties primarily, and its
"compression" properties as a secondary effect).

> What we need to sort out now, I think, is what implications this has for the multiple suffixes draft. I tend to think that it supports the 'bag of tags' approach that I outlined earlier; that puts the fewest constraints on how suffixes are defined (so that they can define their own constraints, as per above).

I'm not fully following, but I think you're saying that "the suffix to
the left needs to say how it serializes itself to the the suffix to
the right"? Or you might be saying "if you peel the suffix to the
right off, everything to the left needs to be a valid media type"?

> We also probably want to explicitly list what things a suffix registration needs to document.

+1

Sounds like we have some concrete things to write, thank you for being
willing to help. I've raised issues to gather normative statements (or
just loose thoughts) for each pattern here:

Document "Syntax suffix" pattern:
https://github.com/ietf-wg-mediaman/suffixes/issues/26

Document "Compression suffix" pattern:
https://github.com/ietf-wg-mediaman/suffixes/issues/27

Document "Container suffix" pattern:
https://github.com/ietf-wg-mediaman/suffixes/issues/28

Document "Multiple suffix" pattern:
https://github.com/ietf-wg-mediaman/suffixes/issues/29

... we might be able to merge these down (or have to create new ones)
as we work our way through this process. I don't quite know where to
put your "bag of tags" suggestion yet, Mark. Feel free to add it to
the "Multiple suffix" pattern, or create a new issue to document the
"Bag of tags" pattern.

-- manu

--
Manu Sporny - https://www.linkedin.com/in/manusporny/
Founder/CEO - Digital Bazaar, Inc.
https://www.digitalbazaar.com/