Internet Info 1993/Internet Info CD-ROM (Walnut Creek) (1993).iso/inet/ietf/92nov/napmime-minutes-92nov.txt

Text File | 1993-02-17 | 4.5 KB | 101 lines

Editor's Note: Minutes received 12/21/92

CURRENT_MEETING_REPORT_


Reported by George L. Johnston/MIT

Minutes of the NAPLPS Graphics and Character Sets as a MIME BOF (NAPMIME)

The Chairs began the session by emphasizing the reality that the
Internet is, and will continue to be, a highly heterogeneous network, in
which some use will involve small systems with pc-level graphics and
low-bandwidth connections.  On the basis of this reality, they argued
that a MIME extension which permits the encoding of pictorial
information (including limited animation) and alphanumeric text
(including limited animation) with great economy of file size would be
very desirable.  They asserted that NAPLPS meets these criteria.  They
introduced Mr.  G. Kenneth Holman, Technical Vice President of Microstar
Software Ltd., of Nepean, Ontario, Canada, one of the leading developers
of NAPLPS software, including the NAPLPS drivers for Prodigy, a videotex
service of IBM and Sears, to provide expert information on NAPLPS,
including its relation to other international standards.

The Chairs and Mr.  Holman described the history of NAPLPS and its
status as an international standard.  Particularly important is the fact
that it is based on the ISO 2022 7 and 8 bit extension standard, which
uses escape characters to select in-use tables from a repertoire of such
tables.  The standard has been extended to include audio and still
compressed images (JPEG), as well as sixteen bit characters to represent
languages which have such requirements.  Dave Hughes demonstrated NAPLPS
by means of TeleDraw, an integrated NAPLPS/ASCII terminal emulator,
drawing program, and symbol processor (for the creation of DRCS --
dynamically redefinable character set provided by the standard) for
MS-DOS computers developed by his company.

A person attending the session complained that he and, he believed,
others attending the session felt that they were being sold something.
George Johnston responded that they were being introduced to a standard
with which many were unfamiliar, because it comes from videotex and
teletext, and that it is important to demonstrate the functionality of
the standard and that it has been widely implemented.

The same person commented that MIME involves a deliberate decision to
avoid ISO 2022, in favor of fully formed characters that can be
processed by the party receiving them.  He stated that MIME favors a
multi-part approach instead of pulling everything together, in one file,
as NAPLPS does.  In response, it was stated that the presentation level
approach allows pictorial and character information to be placed in
deliberate spatial relationship with each other.

Persons attending the session provided helpful suggestions concerning
the question of how NAPLPS might be related to MIME in terms of content
type.  It was stated that one can try to have MIME revised, or go to
IANA for registration within an existing content type.  The latter
approach is clearly the path of least resistance.  The content type

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_image_, with the subtype _naplps_, i.e., _image/naplps_, seems a
natural choice for consideration.  Less desirable would be
_image/x-naplps_.

An alternative to content type _image_ would be _application_, i.e.,
_application/naplps_.  A person attending the session stated that a goal
of MIME is to do unique labeling.  The proponents of NAPLPS as a MIME
extension should decide how they want it to be designated.  He added
that there is little interest in vector graphics.  George Johnston
reiterated that the Internet is an inhomogeneous network, with some
low-end computers and connections, and therefore it is desirable to have
a MIME extension which permits the economical encoding of pictorial and
character information.

The session concluded with a statement by Ken Holman that he would begin
to draft an application to IANA for registration of NAPLPS as content
type _image/naplps_.


Attendees

Kay Chang                [e-mail]
Letha Dugas              [e-mail]
Erik Fair                [e-mail]
Sallie Fellows           [e-mail]
Ned Freed                [e-mail]
Thomas Hacker            [e-mail]
Russ Hobby               [e-mail]
G. Ken Holman            [e-mail]
David Hughes             [e-mail]
George Johnston          [e-mail]
John Klensin             [e-mail]
Jim Knowles              [e-mail]
Charlotte Mooers         [e-mail]