[aprssig] spaces in object names PROPOSAL

[Bob Bruninga]

> ...database designers should... revisit our 
> databases and separate Objects from station 
> from Items and then present them as obviously 
> different entities..

How a given system stores information and presents it is of course up to the author.  But the fundamental principle must be that NAMES are unique and any two things in APRS with the same NAME are in fact the same thing, and the most recent one received replaces the previous one.

Given that everyone agrees that for APRS to work as a distributed system with all parties able to manipulate the common situation, that NAME IDENTITY is the fundamental principle, then the debate is only what constitutes a NAME.
IE, like-named things replace like-named things no matter what they are.

*** The spec says a name is printable ASCII, and I now agree, that we can accept that includes a SPACE.

*** The spec says that an object NAME is transmitted in a 9 byte field right-padded with spaces.  This means those trailing spaces are NOT part of the NAME, but are only part of the format.

If we can all agree to that, then we can move on...

Everyone has made good points in defense of their position, but what matters is that we all use a consistent interpretation rather what might be easiest for us.

Thanks Bob, WB4APR