Re: [regext] RDAP jCard profile

Hi George,

Il 08/07/2019 08:11, George Michaelson ha scritto:
> I think we should have time at the Montreal meeting to discuss this
> f2f. You have a proposal for a simplified model requiring
> re-implementation, we have a proposal for a simplification of the
> existing implementation. Both are worth discussing.
>
> -George

I agree.

It is certain that jCard is considered inefficient in many contexts 
because implementers need to define their own contact data model and 
customize serialization/deserialization methods provided by JSON 
libraries in order to convert jCard into/from their internal 
representation. The idea of having a common JSON contact representation, 
more efficient than jCard, inspired the JSContact proposal.

It is also true that some RDAP implementers have raised objections to 
the use of jCard, so much so that jCard fix/replacement has been debated 
inside and outside this WG.

As a JSContact co-author and RDAP implementer, I have developed a new 
version of .it RDAP server providing the contact information according 
to such a new format as an optional capability. I did it with the main 
purpose of gathering feedbacks about JSContact "as is" and, secondly, 
envisage its use in the RDAP context.

Anyway, JSContact is indipendent of RDAP and the WG might decide that 
there is no need to change the RDAP response or JSContact is not the 
best solution for replacing jCard in RDAP.

Best,

mario

> On Mon, Jul 8, 2019 at 3:31 PM Cameron Hall
> <chall@staff.synergywholesale.com>  wrote:
>> Hi Tom,
>>
>> Having recently built our own RDAP server to meet the implementation deadline, and experienced first hand the implementation of jCard; I don't believe that simplifying the profile is sufficient enough.
>>
>> I'm under the assumption that jCard (vCard) was chosen due to its flexibility and wide adoption in terms of email/calendar/contact clients. While I can appreciate the flexibility, it was very tedious and complex to implement given that it is not human readable and not "straight-forward" so to speak. I do appreciate the specification of the fields required by RDAP in your draft, but I still think that jCard is "over-engineered" for the purpose of reporting contacts. The format for domain contact objects/mappings haven't changed in nearly ten years and given the direction the world is moving with privacy regulations I can't imagine us taking full-advantage of what jCard has to offer.
>>
>> I believe that JSContact better fits the RDAP system due to its overall simplicity. Being both human and machine readable is a huge advantage in comparison, as it will lessen implementation time and be a not require one to wrap their head around the complexities of the vCard/jCard formats.
>>
>> Not to mention, JSContact would complement the REST API quite nicely.
>>
>> - Cameron
>>
>>
>> On Mon, 8 Jul 2019 at 14:19, Tom Harrison<tomh@apnic.net>  wrote:
>>> Hi all,
>>>
>>> This draft
>>> (https://tools.ietf.org/html/draft-harrison-regext-rdap-jcard-profile-00)
>>> is a profile of jCard for use in RDAP.  It is based on the jCard
>>> properties/parameters etc. used by the current RDAP servers, plus some
>>> extras that will likely be in use soon (e.g. support for properties in
>>> multiple languages).  Before moving forward with something like
>>> JSContact, we'd like to see whether profiling jCard will simplify it
>>> sufficiently for the group that it's no longer necessary to replace it
>>> with a new format (though obviously this can't fix problems that occur
>>> due to the format itself, such as difficulties with
>>> marshalling/unmarshalling jCard data).  Feedback would be appreciated.
>>>
>>> -Tom
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> regext mailing list
>>> regext@ietf.org
>>> https://www.ietf.org/mailman/listinfo/regext
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-- 
Dr. Mario Loffredo
Servizi Internet e Sviluppo Tecnologico
CNR - Istituto di Informatica e Telematica
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