The Robustness Principle Reconsidered (CACM)

Eric Allman takes another look at Postel's law ("be conservative in what you send, liberal in what you accept") in the Communications of the ACM. "For many years the Robustness Principle was accepted dogma, failing more when it was ignored rather than when practiced. In recent years, however, that principle has been challenged. This isn't because implementers have gotten more stupid, but rather because the world has become more hostile. Two general problem areas are impacted by the Robustness Principle: orderly interoperability and security."

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