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Absolute links (§5.1) don't resolve correctly in non-OKF-aware renderers #157

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@jeromeetienne

§5.1 defines /-prefixed links as relative to the bundle root. link. That's a
valid layer on top of markdown — CommonMark specifies link syntax, not
resolution — so the files stay valid markdown. The concern is resolution
in any viewer that isn't OKF-aware.

A browser resolves /tables/customers.md against the host origin; GitHub
resolves it against the repo root. Neither is the bundle root once the
bundle is nested in a larger repo — which §3 explicitly allows ("a
subdirectory within a larger repository"). In those cases the absolute
links mislink or 404.

This cuts against the zero-tooling portability goal: the text is still
readable with cat, but the links only resolve correctly in an
OKF-aware consumer (or when the bundle happens to sit at the serving
root).

The relative form in §5.2 (./other.md) resolves correctly in every
renderer; it only breaks when files move. So §5.1 trades
renderer-portability for move-stability — yet it's the "recommended"
form.

Questions:

  • Is this tradeoff intentional?
  • Should the spec note that §5.1 links require an OKF-aware resolver, or
    recommend §5.2 for bundles meant to be browsed raw?

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