On Mar 4, 2004, at 4:27 AM, Larry Masinter wrote:
What do engineers who are developing new file formats need? Probably some way of registering a MIME type and file extension and Macintosh format/creator IDs at the same time, and some questionaire that leads them through development of the answers, let's them get reviews from their management, etc.
Look at the process from the point of view of the people who we want to use it.
I'd also point out that in some cases, those developing a format are ignorant of or unconcerned with the utility of a media type, and aren't motivated to engage the process. As a result, the people who want to leverage existing systems using media types -- and not those who author new formats --are the ones who pay the highest price. The popular (but unidentified, as far as media types are concerned) RSS format is a good example of this. -- Mark Nottingham http://www.mnot.net/