> -----Original Message-----
> From: Mike Taylor [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
> Sent: Friday, August 08, 2003 11:40 AM
>
> 4. This specific request from the client contains two record
>    specifications: the XPath (preferred) and DC (fallback), clearly
>    marked as such.

I know you're trying to be helpful, but I really don't like this whole
conversation.

The root problem is that Theo wants to send requests to servers that he is
absolutly determined not to get Explain records from.  (I understand that
he's running in an environment where that just isn't practical.)  In fact,
he wants to send exactly the same string to all those servers, so getting
Explain records from those servers doesn't help, because it would just let
him know in advance that he's sending garbage to some of those servers.

The slippery slope that Mike proposes won't stop with the embedded Present
request.  Theo also needs to send alternative forms of the query too.  (Try
to do my Author search and if that doesn't work, then do my Name search and
if that doesn't work then here's an Any search.  Oh yeah, and here's a list
of sort specifications too.)

The only way that Theo can send the exact same string to a bunch of servers
is if he knows that the string works on all those servers.  One way he might
know that is if he knows that they've agreed to a common profile.  But,
there's no way that he's going to get a single string to work on an
arbitrary list of servers.  None.  Stop trying.

Ralph