Re: To RDF or not to RDF

On 6/21/13 9:41 PM, Ora.Lassila@nokia.com wrote:
> existing thread, and also for probably saying things other folks have
> already brought up]
>
> I have worked on RDF and systems using RDF for over 15 years now (and on
> RDF's "non-Web" predecessors before that). The most important thing I have
> learned is that while it is possible to do Linked Data and Semantic Web
> stuff *without* RDF, whatever alternative technology you choose, you soon
> feel compelled to add features that make it look like RDF. I particularly
> see this whenever someone comes to me advocating the use of JSON. RDF is
> what it is for a reason, *not* because we arbitrarily threw something
> together.
>
> So it is not that RDF "looks bad" or whatever people might be saying. It
> is that other technologies and approaches "fall short" of what Linked Data
> and Semantic Web really need. Let's not please reinvent things or shove a
> round peg in a square hole just because someone prefers curly braces over
> angle brackets. Issues like that are not interesting (at all), and we have
> more important things to do.
>
> Regards,
>
> 	- Ora
>
Ora,

I am sure you know I am not advocating reinvention of anything.

I am advocating the principle of "independent invention" [1] whereby the 
concepts denoted by "Linked Data" , "Semantic Web", and "RDF" are the 
focal point rather than their many labels.

As you know personally, I am all about telling the same story in 
different ways, subject to my target audience. As you also know, at this 
point in time, there are more folks familiar with the entity 
relationship model and EAV/CR than there are RDF and its specific 
contributions to this innovation continuum.

Our collective goal is to get everyone to embrace the fundamental 
concept. That can happen without being distracted by its many labels.

We want to free data from the tyranny of applications. Data and 
applications should be loosely coupled, just as concepts and labels 
should be loosely coupled :-)

Links:

1. http://www.w3.org/DesignIssues/Principles.html -- Axioms of Web 
Architecture .

-- 

Regards,

Kingsley Idehen	
Founder & CEO
OpenLink Software
Company Web: http://www.openlinksw.com
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