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From: pays@mars.emse.fr (Paul-Andre Pays)
Newsgroups: comp.protocols.iso.x400
Subject: Re:  Printable format
Message-ID: <9008220824.AA18376@mars.emse.fr>
Date: 22 Aug 90 08:24:56 GMT
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>
> In fact I had been under the impression that the /x=y/ format was
> a temporary thing.  That some other `standard format' would come
> along or possibly that individual user agents were going to be
> free to display it as they wished.
>

I don't see it as temporary.
What I expect is that X.500 will provide better (more natural)
attributes and that we will no longer have to bother about ADMD, PRMD
but X.500 DNames are in their structure very similar to
ORnames and I believe thet the same format ("/=" or ";=")
will be needed and used to "print" those names.

> As a data-point I am in the midst of writing a program, part of which
> will be inputing O/R names for both MTAs and users.  I am intending
> to have the dialog for doing this display the components in a
> fairly normal "form" like:
>
> 	Country			<country value>
> 	Administrative Domain	<ADMD value>
> 	Primary Domain		<PRMD value>
> 	Organization		<O value>
> 	Organization Unit	<OU value>
> 		...
>
> along with a box at the bottom using the current string in the /x=y/ form.
>
> Is this a reasonable thing to do?  I don't see any problem with
> it myself with the possible exception of writing the X/Motif necessary
> to handle all the different possible types ...

That is exactly what I have done (using curses) and what is being
now delivered (curses and X) by SYNC (a software house here),
and it seems that this approach suits most users.

-- pap