Representing '&' in URLs

[John Cowan]

Robin Cover wrote:

> This makes the syntax valid, but unfortunately, only a few Web servers
> will be able to handle this notation.  The same engineers (apparently)
> who have designed the software to generate the malformed URLs have
> also designed the servers to grok ONLY raw (unescaped) ampersand.  For
> the notation you have offered, most processors will choke.  So, as
> a document author attempting to compose valid HTML/XML with links
> of this kind - you're hosed.

Note that this stricture applies only when you are trying to make
well-formed XML that is also usable HTML.  If you are only concerned
with XML, then use & without fear, as any XML processor will
do the right thing before passing the hyperlink to your application.

-- 
John Cowan	http://www.ccil.org/~cowan		cowan at ccil.org
	You tollerday donsk?  N.  You tolkatiff scowegian?  Nn.
	You spigotty anglease?  Nnn.  You phonio saxo?  Nnnn.
		Clear all so!  'Tis a Jute.... (Finnegans Wake 16.5)

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