BCPs are stable identifiers for Best Current Practices. A BCP may consist of a single RFC or a group of RFCs related to a specific IETF process or recommended guidelines. The collection may become empty as the BCP evolves.
RFC 6648: BCP 178: Deprecating the "X-" Prefix and Similar Constructs in Application Protocols
Best Current Practice
- P. Saint-Andre
- D. Crocker
- M. Nottingham
- June 2012
- IETF publication
- Applications and Real-Time Area
Abstract
Historically, designers and implementers of application protocols have often distinguished between standardized and unstandardized parameters by prefixing the names of unstandardized parameters with the string "X-" or similar constructs. In practice, that convention causes more problems than it solves. Therefore, this document deprecates the convention for newly defined parameters with textual (as opposed to numerical) names in application protocols. This memo documents an Internet Best Current Practice.
Abstract
Historically, designers and implementers of application protocols have often distinguished between standardized and unstandardized parameters by prefixing the names of unstandardized parameters with the string "X-" or similar constructs. In practice, that convention causes more problems than it solves. Therefore, this document deprecates the convention for newly defined parameters with textual (as opposed to numerical) names in application protocols. This memo documents an Internet Best Current Practice.