[WWW-Vrml] [Consortium] [Ann] The Web goes 3D - Bitmanagement releases ISO Standard Viewer BS Contact 7.2 Web 3D

[Braden McDaniel]

On Fri, 2009-05-22 at 14:09 -0700, Joe D Williams wrote:
> > I am very proud to announce our latest release of our ISO Standard 
> > Viewer BS Contact 7.2. Web 3D.
> 
> Great Work, Peter.
> 
> Could you add some comment to the X3D working group about what to do 
> about MIME types?
> 
> At present, the internet group has sort of rejected our use of 
> model/x3d+vrml because they say it isn't often done that way.

There's actually more to the argument than that.  The existing use of
"+" is to indicate the use of a generalized encoding mechanism (XML).
VRML is not a generalized encoding mechanism; thus "x3d+vrml" is
inconsistent with existing usage.

I predicted an issue like this back in 2003 when these discussions were
initially taking place:

        http://web.archive.org/web/20030926182108/www.web3d.org/www-vrml/hypermail/2003/2113.html

And props to Tony for suggesting "-" for the non-XML types in the first
place.

It seems worth noting that how X3D got from the suggestions in that
thread to the form in the ISO spec is not apparent from that thread or
any other I recall.

> they say to use a '-' instead to produce model/x3d-vrml.
> 
> Right now BS and Octage register model/x3d+vrml
> 
> I think we should ask them for forgivness and let web3d go ahead using 
> model/x3d+vrml

I suspect the W3DC's lethargic interest in using valid media types
coupled with the rather sparse send-side deployment of model/x3d+vrml
makes for a less-than-compelling case for such an exception.

But one can ask.

-- 
Braden McDaniel <braden at endoframe.com>