deepbluev7
commented
2 weeks ago About setting a precedent, we already have stable flags specified in the README: https://github.com/matrix-org/matrix-spec-proposals?tab=readme-ov-file#when-can-i-use-stable-identifiers
While this is adding such flags after the MSC was merged, so not just to bridge the gap between spec releases, I think in this specific case it is important to make a quick rollout of authenticated media possible. Otherwise we will be fragmenting the ecosystem much more imo OR homeservers will have to violate the spec by advertising support for 1.11 without complete support. I think neither of those options is attractive and having a "stable" flag for a while is the least problematic, but if anybody has a better suggestion, I am happy to yield to such a proposal. And if in the future this change is seen as a problematic precedent, I think we can have an MSC about how such problems should be handled in the future, which would overrule any precedent set by this.
In conversation with several client and homeserver developers it has come up that the current schedule for rolling out authenticated media is hard for them to follow if they have to support all of 1.11 at once.
I think the value of authenticated media is high enough to warrant a stable flag to encourage a faster rollout of authenticated media. This allows servers to support authenticated media without supporting all of 1.11 already and the additional burden on client developers is minimal.
This flag is already in use by serveral implementations: