Re: [Gnu-arch-users] removing a branch?

[Stephen J. Turnbull]

>>>>> "Adrian" == Adrian Irving-Beer <address@hidden> writes:

    Adrian> If you're unfamiliar with it, DAV is a write-extension to
    Adrian> HTTP, best known for being used by GUI web design tools
    Adrian> (FrontPage, DreamWeaver, etc.) for uploading websites via
    Adrian> HTTP.

Be careful.  DAV isn't an extension for writing, HTTP PUT already does
that.  It's an extension to allow concurrent write access (ie, it
provides file locking) and provide other services required to make
writing useful to the remote author (eg, standard directory listing).

    Adrian> since DAV is the only way one could possibly have a read-
    Adrian> write archive, they're the default for 'make-archive'.

Again, make-archive doesn't know anything about this.  make-archive
justates the root and populates it with some administrative stuff.
DAV simply provides enough of usual file system semantics for tla to
blissfully ignore the fact that the "file system" isn't even local
(delegating that part to hackerlab).

But plain HTTP isn't even smart enough to be a useful read-only
transport, and ensuring that the HTTP listing is parsable by tla
requires sysadmin access that the archive owner may not have.  So
make-archive has the .listing facility to make read-only access via
vanilla HTTP possible.


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