Vulnerability Development mailing list archives

RE: Plain text files in internet explorer


From: "Bernie Cosell" <bernie () fantasyfarm com>
Date: Sun, 1 Sep 2002 18:19:34 -0400

On 1 Sep 2002, at 14:47, Alan Ramsbottom wrote:

John Hennessy [mailto:johnh () charm net wrote:

Is it just me or is impossible to have plain text in internet
explorer?

It's everyone. Read all about it (datasniffing) here:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/workshop/networking/m
oniker/overview/appendix_a.asp

 "A MIME type is ambiguous if it is 'text/plain',
'application/octet-stream', an empty string, or null (that is, the
server failed to provide it)."

Is this actually specified someplace in some relevant RFC?  I can't 
comment on application/octet-stream, but I've never before heard that 
text/plain was ambiguous.  I thought it was crystal-clear and meant, 
well, "plain text" [basically a sequence of characters in whatever 
charset is specified].

Is this interpretation some idiosyncracy of Microsoft's or is it actually 
an RFC-supported 'correct' interpretation of the text/plain MIME type?

  /Bernie\

-- 
Bernie Cosell                     Fantasy Farm Fibers
mailto:bernie () fantasyfarm com     Pearisburg, VA
    -->  Too many people, too few sheep  <--          


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