RIF RDF and OWL Compatibility and OWL Semantics

Dear RIF WG,

The current SWC document uses the terms 'OWL Full Semantics' and 'OWL  
DL Semantics'. However, the OWL Working Group, in the recently  
published OWL 2 Recommendation, has tried to clarify these notions by  
separating syntax and semantics. In OWL 2, it is made clear that OWL 2  
DL is a syntactic restriction and not, per se, a definition of a  
particular semantics. For semantics, we refer to the 'OWL 2 Direct  
Semantics' and 'OWL 2 RDF-Based Semantics', either of which could be  
applied to an OWL 2 DL ontology.

We realise that this may come a bit too late in the process (and the  
OWL WG also acknowledges the issue of accepted terminology, see the  
thread at[1]). However, we wonder whether the RIF WG would still  
consider updating the RDF and OWL Compatibility document to reflect  
the terminology used in OWL 2 -- we believe that there would be a  
benefit to RIF in terms of increased clarity and consistency with the  
latest version of OWL.

Note that the current discussion on the Semantic Web Coordination Group 
[2] that will provide generic URI-s for entailment regimes (and which  
may be an alternative to the URI-s listed in 5.1.1. of the document)  
will probably reflect the updated terminology.

Sincerely

On behalf of the OWL Working Group

Ian Horrocks, Chair

[1] http://www.w3.org/TR/owl2-overview/
[2] http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Member/w3c-semweb-cg/2009Oct/0051.html