Re: lynx-dev Patch to Lynx cookie handling of invalid domains

[David Henderson]

> In a recent note, Larry W. Virden said:
>> to continue.  So I made this patch which for users who want cookies get
>> even cookies from 'invalid domains' (ie domains with two levels).

>What's invalid about a domain with two levels?

Nothing per se.  It's how those cookies are specified that is the problem.
If edit.my.yahoo.com tries to set a cookie for ".yahoo.com", it's in
violation of the cookie spec... "legally", edit.my.yahoo.com can only set
cookies for the domains "edit.my.yahoo.com" and ".my.yahoo.com", not
".yahoo.com".

So in the spirit of getting it right first, then adding the option to
get it wrong, Lynx lets you get invalid cookies from sites that shouldn't
get them; Lynx tells you about the problem, though, so you can realize
that the MMBs[1] got YASI[2], and have a good laugh at their expense.

As I understand it, if you have the "Accept all cookies" option turned
on, you are still asked whether you want to accept an invalid cookie.
LWV's patch apparently changes that, such that if you say "Accept all
cookies", you mean "Accept ALL cookies".

David Henderson

[1] - Mass Market Browsers
[2] - Yet Another Specification Incorrect
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<*> davidh at psiphi.org, davidh at imsa.edu, davidh at cyberdesic.com