Is the map-Parameter of the UMN-mapserver conform to the OGC WMS-specification?

Question

Say you have a mapserver-url like this: http://host/cgi-bin/mapserv?MAP=/path/to/mapfile.map&

Is a WMS specified in this way conform to the OGC WMS-specification? Some say the map-parameter is a vendor-specific parameter, but you also could see it as part of the URL-prefix for this service (ending with ? or & as specified, it's an & in this case). What do you think, is that compatible to the specification or not?

Answer 1

The OGC WMS 1.1.1 (Section 6.2.2)and 1.3.0 (Section 6.3.3) specifications are fairly clear regarding this topic:

An Online Resource URL intended for HTTP GET requests is in fact only a URL prefix to which additional parameters are appended in order to construct a valid Operation request. A URL prefix is defined in accordance with IETF RFC 2396 as a string including, in order, the scheme (“http” or “https”), Internet Protocol hostname or numeric address, optional port number, path, mandatory question mark “?”, and optional string comprising one or more server-specific parameters ending in an ampersand “&”.

As long as the online resource URL finishes with an "&", it should adhere to the WMS specification