[Zope] GET/POST "name=value" query var convention?

Does anyone know of a more-or-less authoritative source that states that the common convention for HTTP GET/POST queries is a series of "name=value" pairs joined by "&" characters? I know I'm not just making this up, but I need to persuade someone that it is a commonly-accepted practice. Before you look... it's not in the HTTP RFCs. Also...would it be accurate to say that life as a PHP and/or ColdFusion programmer is easier if the aforementioned HTTP GET/POSTs are performed in this manner? I know as a frequent user of Perl's CGI.pm module that I take this convention for granted. ---scott