Subject: "Wallet" Detection

From: "Donald E. Eastlake 3rd" <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 14 Mar 1999 11:37:18 -0500

For the Internet Open Trading Protocol and similar protocols operating
via HTTP, web servers are frequently faced with the problem of
determining whether software to handle the protocol they wish to use
is installed at the user's browser/machine.  This frequently means
finding out if a particular MIME type, such as application/iotp, is
being handled.

Theoretically this should be determinable from HTTP headers and may be
in some cases but too many browsers send "*/*" for the MIME types they
accept.  Other methods of negotiations may be under development but
what I'm talking about is solving the actual oeprational problem on
the bulk of the browsers actually in use from today to within the next
6 to 12 months.

I'd like to suggest a work item for the TRADE WG to develop an
Informational RFC suggesting a real workable way to do this.

Thanks,
Donald
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From: Tom Arnold <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 14 Mar 1999 15:06:53 -0800

I see the relevance to wallets. But, beyond that this would be a very good
piece for general "plug-in" detection as well. Out of necessity, we have
implemented a technique to detect the presence of a download tool or
streaming viewer prior to downloading content. In essence, we need to
determine if we have to provide a tool (plug-in) to the consumer before
streaming the content. I think this would be a valuable protocol to have
documented or at least complete the research and determine a best practice
in the field as I wonder if some other WG has done anything with this.

>Informational RFC suggesting a real workable way to do this.

Tom Arnold
Vice President of Engineering
Chief Technical Officer
CyberSource Corporation
[email-masked]