Re: 19990623: NetCDF mime type

>To: address@hidden
>From: Benno Blumenthal <address@hidden>
>Subject: mime type for netcdf files
>Organization: International Research Institute for climate prediction
>Keywords: 199906231755.LAA27893

Hi Benno,

> I have for some time been serving netcdf files by labelling them with a
> mime-type
> 
> application/x-cdf
> 
> which was my best guess at the mime-type that would be used (since I was
> hardly in a position to set the standard).
> I seem to be wrong, since a user recently complained that
> 
> > The problem is a conflict in the Windows registry.  In the registry
> > file types *.cdf are 'application/x-cdf' and are recognized by
> > Windows as a 'Channel File', thus downloading by left clicking
> > does not work. No error message appears, which left me temporarily
> > confused.  Maybe a warning to Microsoft Explorer users would be in
> > order?
> 
> i.e. Bill Gates has stolen my mime type.    Have you registered a
> mime-type for netcdf files, and if so, what is it?
> If not, please do so.

The MIME type

  application/x-netcdf

is unregistered, since it doesn't appear in the list at

  ftp://ftp.isi.edu/in-notes/iana/assignments/media-types/media-types

but it is in common use, since you can find it listed among the
"Common Unregistered Types" at

  http://www.beoscentral.com/home/chrish/Be/info/mime-types.shtml#application
  http://www.movies.hbs.edu/av/webtest/mimeTypes.html

and many other places.

It seems to be listed as "application/netcdf" at

  http://www.ltsw.se/knbase/internet/application.htp

so I guess we need to register it to avoid such inconsistencies.  I'm
looking in to the process of registering a new type.  It involves some
work in writing up a proposal and getting it reviewed ...

Thanks for the suggestion.

--Russ

_____________________________________________________________________

Russ Rew                                         UCAR Unidata Program
address@hidden                     http://www.unidata.ucar.edu