[SPEC-CHANGE] Simplified client certs, URI scheme, alt text

[colecmac at protonmail.com]

Sounds good! Can this be updated on the website?

makeworld

‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ Original Message ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐
On Monday, June 15, 2020 12:13 PM, solderpunk <solderpunk at SDF.ORG> wrote:

> Ahoy, Geminauts!
>
> I have just made the proposed spec changes that I asked for comment on
> over the just past weekend official.
>
> SUMMARY OF CHANGES:
>
> -   A gemini:// URI scheme is formally defined for the first time,
>     explicitly disallowing the use of the userinfo subcomponent of the
>     authority component.
>
> -   The client certificate system has been substantially simplified, with
>     transient certificates no long a formally defined concept with
>     prescribed behaviour.
>
> -   A lightweight notion of alt text for pre-formatted content has been
>     introduced as a tentative step toward fixing the worst search and
>     accessibility related problems with pre-formatted non-textual content.
>     No special structures or semantics for alt text are defined - if a
>     convention for doing this organically arises in the community it may
>     become a recommended best practice.
>
> -   A few minor corrections and tidyups.
>
>     IMPLICATIONS FOR SERVER AUTHORS:
>
>     Servers SHOULD return status 59 (BAD REQUEST) if they receive a request
>     for a gemini:// URL containing a userinfo subcomponent. If you really
>     want to be hyper-Postelian, you MAY instead strip out the userinfo so
>     that, for example, it does not end up in logs, is not passed to CGI
>     apps, etc.
>
>     IMPLICATIONS FOR CLIENT AUTHORS:
>
>     Clients should either refuse to follow gemini:// links with userinfo
>     subcomponents, or should strip out the userinfo before following the
>     link.
>
>     Clients with support for client certificates should adapt to the new
>     simplified specification, which may involve e.g. removing support for
>     the deprecated status code 21.
>
>     Clients may do something with alt text. This is probably most relevant
>     to search engines and accessibility-focussed clients, but I suppose e.g.
>     graphical clients may wish to support web browser style hover over
>     display. Strictly optional in all cases.
>
>     IMPLICATIONS FOR CONTENT AUTHORS:
>
>     If you have authored content which includes gemini:// links with
>     userinfo subcomponents, you MUST remove the userinfo.
>
>     You may wish to add alt text to preformatted content which is not
>     meaningfully screen readable or search engine indexable.
>
>     Cheers,
>     Solderpunk
>