Internet Engineering Task Force A. Tamas
Internet-Draft B. Phister, Ed.
Intended status: Informational J-E. Rodriguez
Expires: August 11, 2019 OP3FT
February 7, 2019

The 'leaptofrogans' URI Scheme
draft-op3ft-leaptofrogans-uri-scheme-07

Abstract

This document describes the 'leaptofrogans' Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) scheme, which enables applications to launch Frogans Player on a given Frogans site. Frogans is a medium for publishing content and services on the Internet, defined as a generic software layer on the Internet. Frogans Player is software enabling end users to browse Frogans sites.

Status of This Memo

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This Internet-Draft will expire on August 11, 2019.

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Table of Contents

1. Background Information

1.1. About Frogans

Frogans is a medium for publishing content and services on the Internet. From its inception in 1999, the medium was designed as a generic software layer running on top of the original Internet infrastructure, i.e. the TCP and IP protocols and the Domain Name System (DNS), alongside other existing layers such as E-mail or the World Wide Web.

As a medium, Frogans is not meant for publishing Web sites, but Frogans sites, a kind of site founded upon a different format, enabling a different kind of communication between end users and publishers of content and services.

Frogans is intended to be complementary to the World Wide Web, and not to replace it. This is analogous to instant messaging, which was not intended to and did not replace E-mail.

Compared to the World Wide Web, Frogans suggests visual rather than text-based communication, focused content rather than long pages, and natural interaction rather than complex user interfaces. For further information on the reasons for introducing Frogans on the Internet, and for an in-depth discussion of the similarities and differences between Frogans sites and Web sites, see [FSDL] Section 1.4 "Frogans sites and Web sites".

The technology making up the medium, i.e. the Frogans technology, includes multiple components such as:

1.2. About the OP3FT

Created in 2012, the OP3FT [OP3FT] is a dedicated, non-profit organization whose purpose is to hold, promote, protect and ensure the progress of the Frogans technology, in the form of an open standard, available to all, free of charge.

As part of its mission, the OP3FT develops and releases technical specifications, reference implementations (including Frogans Player), and various policies, which define the rights and responsibilities of all stakeholders involved in the technology worldwide.

2. The Need for a New URI Scheme and its Purpose

Generic software layers running on top of the original Internet infrastructure offer mechanisms enabling end users to easily go from one layer to another, in both directions. For example, end users can easily launch their usual Web browser on a given Web page from a message in their usual E-mail client; and in the other direction, end users can easily launch their usual E-mail client with a given E-mail address from a Web page in their usual Web browser. This is commonly achieved using URIs [RFC3986].

As regards Frogans as a medium, in the outgoing direction, FSDL enables Frogans site publishers to include in their Frogans sites way-out buttons. These buttons enable end users to launch their usual Web browser on a given Web page, or to launch their usual E-mail client with a given E-mail address. This is achieved by associating a URI with each of those way-out buttons (the scheme of the URI can be any of 'http', 'https', or 'mailto').

Conversely, in the incoming direction, Web site publishers should have a means to include in their Web pages links enabling end users to launch Frogans Player on a given Frogans site. Likewise, people writing E-mail messages should have a means to include in their messages links enabling recipients to launch Frogans Player on a given Frogans site. More generally, any end-user application should be able to launch Frogans Player on a given Frogans site.

In order to achieve this, a new URI scheme, containing a Frogans address, is needed.

Given that Frogans as a medium does not enable deep linking for Frogans sites, there is no need for additional information in the new URI scheme other than the Frogans address.

The use of a MIME type as a means to include on a Web page a link enabling end users to launch Frogans Player on a given Frogans site was tested in 2006 with the registration of the 'vnd.frogans.ltf' media type with IANA [LTF]. But that use of a media type was revealed to be unsatisfactory for several reasons. First, for any such link included on a Web page, the author of the Web page had to create and host a .ltf file on the Web server hosting that Web page, which was cumbersome. Furthermore, prior to creating such links, the author had to ask the server administrator to associate the .ltf files with the 'vnd.frogans.ltf' media type on the server. Alternatively, the author could create a link via a redirection service which would generate a .ltf file on the fly while associating it with the 'vnd.frogans.ltf' media type. But that alternative raised privacy concerns, and potentially added latency for end users. Finally, on the Web browser side, it appeared that using a media type from a Web page to launch another application did not always work, especially on mobile devices.

3. The Choice of the Scheme Name

The name chosen for the new URI scheme is 'leaptofrogans'.

This scheme name was chosen in compliance with [RFC7595] Section 3.8 "Scheme Name Considerations".

As regards the length of the scheme name, shorter names were discussed but were not chosen:

4. Scheme Syntax

Frogans addresses [IFAP] are international identifiers made up of Unicode characters. Thus a method for encoding non US-ASCII characters is necessary when the new scheme is used as a URI. The new scheme can also be useful as an IRI [RFC3987] in contexts where IRIs are allowed.

4.1. URI Scheme

The syntax for the 'leaptofrogans' URI scheme is:

where pct-encoded-frogans-address is a Frogans address compliant with [IFAP] whose Unicode characters are each encoded as follows:

Examples of 'leaptofrogans' URIs:

leaptofrogans:Network-Name*Site-Name

leaptofrogans:%E7%BD%91%E7%BB%9C%E5%90%8D*%E7%AB%99%E5%90%8D

4.2. IRI Usage and Encoding

The syntax for IRIs corresponding to the 'leaptofrogans' URI scheme is:

where frogans-address is a Frogans address compliant with [IFAP] and encoded in UTF-8 [UTF-8].

In contexts where both URIs and IRIs are allowed, end-user applications can use either a URI or an IRI based on the 'leaptofrogans' URI scheme when launching Frogans Player on a given Frogans site. This is because Frogans Player must interpret both URIs and IRIs based on the 'leaptofrogans' URI scheme. If the U+0025 PERCENT SIGN character is found in the string, then the string will be interpreted by Frogans Player as a URI, otherwise it will be interpreted as an IRI.

5. Trademarks

In order to enable all users worldwide to use the Frogans technology in a clearly defined, secure and perpetual environment, the OP3FT Bylaws [BYLAWS] provide for the implementation of an intellectual property policy.

In this context, the OP3FT is the holder of the "Frogans" trademark which is registered in France, the United States, and other countries around the world. The right to use the "Frogans" trademark in references or as part of initiatives in connection with the Frogans technology is granted in the OP3FT Trademark Usage Policy [OTUP].

6. IANA Considerations

[RFC Editor: Please replace 'xxxx' with assigned RFC number before publication]

In accordance with the guidelines and registration procedures for new URI schemes [RFC7595], this section provides the information needed to register the 'leaptofrogans' URI scheme.

Scheme name: 'leaptofrogans'

Status: Permanent

Scheme syntax: See Section 4 of RFC xxxx.

Scheme semantics: See Section 2 of RFC xxxx.

Encoding considerations: See Section 4 of RFC xxxx.

Applications/protocols that use this scheme name: Frogans Player as well as any end-user application (such as a Web browser or an E-mail client) wishing to launch Frogans Player on a given Frogans site.

Interoperability considerations: There are no known interoperability concerns related to use of the 'leaptofrogans' URI scheme.

Security considerations: See Section 7 of RFC xxxx.

Contact: Alexis Tamas mailto:alexis.tamas@op3ft.org

Change controller: OP3FT mailto:contact-standards@op3ft.org

References: RFC xxxx.

7. Security Considerations

The author of a Web page can create a link where the true nature of the URI is hidden in the link text which is visible to end users. The same applies for an E-mail message as well as for other end-user applications.

As concerns URIs based on the 'leaptofrogans' URI scheme, this risk of confusion is mitigated because Frogans Player must always display the real Frogans address contained in the URI, and require confirmation by the end user before opening the corresponding Frogans site.

Also, an end-user application may provide a URI containing a Frogans address that is not valid. This does not represent a risk because, before asking for confirmation by the end user, Frogans Player must always verify that the Frogans address contained in the URI is compliant with [IFAP], and raise an error if the Frogans address is not compliant.

8. References

8.1. Normative References

[IFAP] OP3FT, "International Frogans Address Pattern", Version 1.1, ISBN 978-2-37313-000-3, November 2014.
[RFC3986] Berners-Lee, T., Fielding, R. and L. Masinter, "Uniform Resource Identifier (URI): Generic Syntax", STD 66, RFC 3986, DOI 10.17487/RFC3986, January 2005.
[RFC3987] Duerst, M. and M. Suignard, "Internationalized Resource Identifiers (IRIs)", RFC 3987, DOI 10.17487/RFC3987, January 2005.
[RFC7595] Thaler, D., Hansen, T. and T. Hardie, "Guidelines and Registration Procedures for URI Schemes", BCP 35, RFC 7595, DOI 10.17487/RFC7595, June 2015.
[UTF-8] Yergeau, F., "UTF-8, a transformation format of ISO 10646", STD 63, RFC 3629, DOI 10.17487/RFC3629, November 2003.

8.2. Informative References

[BYLAWS] OP3FT, "Bylaws of the French Fonds de Dotation OP3FT, Organization for the Promotion, Protection and Progress of Frogans Technology", March 2012.
[FSDL] OP3FT, "Frogans Slide Description Language - 3.0", Preliminary Draft 7, September 2018.
[LTF] Tamas, A., "Media Type 'vnd.frogans.ltf'", March 2006.
[OP3FT] OP3FT, "Organization for the Promotion, Protection and Progress of Frogans Technology", 2012.
[OTUP] OP3FT, "OP3FT Trademark Usage Policy", March 2017.

Authors' Addresses

Alexis Tamas OP3FT 6, Square Mozart 75016 Paris, France Phone: +33 1 53 92 00 40 EMail: alexis.tamas@op3ft.org
Benjamin Phister (editor) OP3FT 6, Square Mozart 75016 Paris, France Phone: +33 1 53 92 00 40 EMail: benjamin.phister@op3ft.org
Jean-Emmanuel Rodriguez OP3FT 6, Square Mozart 75016 Paris, France Phone: +33 1 53 92 00 40 EMail: jean-emmanuel.rodriguez@contrib.op3ft.org