Re: Modularization [Was - Re: LDP interfaces in Java (based on Jena and JAX-RS)]

On 7 Aug 2012, at 14:31, "Wilde, Erik" <Erik.Wilde@emc.com> wrote:

> hello kingsley.
> 
> On 2012-08-07 14:18 , "Kingsley Idehen" <kidehen@openlinksw.com> wrote:
>>   A triple pattern (which isn't an RDF invention) is a powerful
>>   vehicle for data representation. Nothing about that is platform
>>   specific. The schema is fundamentally conceptual and grounded in
>>   first-order logic.
> 
> i am amazed how on the one hand you say that RDF is not what you prefer,
> but then you jump to the conclusion that a triple-based metamodel is
> naturally the appropriate metamodel choice we should be making.
> http://dret.typepad.com/dretblog/2009/08/data-models-metamodels-cosmologies
> .html is where i tried to put all of that into context a while ago.
> briefly said: there is no "best metamodel" or "right metamodel". many
> applications happily live with tree-based or relational metamodels,
> because these are a good fit for the models of the applications.
> in the
> end, pretty much any model can be based on pretty much any metamodel, but
> some of these combinations work better than others, and there is no single
> best answer which one works best for a concrete problem. so what i am
> wondering about is how you arrive at the conclusion that RDF is not such a
> great metamodel, but a slight generalization of it is.


What if your metamodels are isomorphic? I think that is what you are saying. In which case yes, you can translate between each one of them without loss. That means that the choice is then no longer to be made at that level.

The next question is: where has the most work been done in building a metamodel that works with the Web? And the answer there is clear: RDF. It keeps things simple by sticking to plain relations, making it easy to learn, and uses URIs for the names of the entities and the relations, allowing us to build linked data and LDP, and it has even build a tradition of syntax agnosticism.

So in my view there is no competition here. It's RDF which wins here for that reason. Those who wish to adapt another of their favorite metamodel can do that. When you have done the work, we can come back and discuss it.  (Just remember that it will be mappable to RDF anyway, so it's not so clear what the advantages would be.)

Henry


> 
> cheers,
> 
> dret.
> 
> 

Social Web Architect
http://bblfish.net/

Received on Tuesday, 7 August 2012 12:44:28 UTC