(2022-06-15) Fielding on URI, URL, WHATWG, interop

Roy Fielding on URI, URL, WHATWG, interop. The WHATWG url spec defines a set of rules for interpreting references and placing them in a url data structure within browser memory. url != URL. href != URL. The spec says that this is somehow replacing URI, but it isn't even defining the same thing. The algorithms are designed to support 1997-era browser compatibility (even when there is no desire for that). The WHATWG spec uses the same name for (last I checked) five different concepts with five different sets of rules associated with them, each of which are very important for browser consistency. The specification is owned and controlled by four corporations, but isn't fully implemented by any of them. It aspires to be implemented.