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You are quite correct, but by this stage the original definition of REST to include HATEOAS has pretty much been abandoned by most people.

Edit: Pretty much every REST API I see these days explains how to construct your URLs to do different things - rather than treating all URLs as opaque. Mind you having tried to create 'pure' HATEOAS REST API I think I prefer the contemporary approach!

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I agree with your preference. I too lean towards a pragmatic approach to REST, which I've seen referred to as "RESTful", as in the popular book "RESTful Web APIs" by Richardson.

I don't understand why the original dissertation is treated like gospel

I don't think its completely unreasonable to look at a definition like REST and be dogmatic about certain aspects like HATEOAS which are arguably absolutely central to the original concept.

However, in retrospect, it might have been an idea to give what developed from Fielding's original work a clearly different name.

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