Re: uri, urn and info

On 2003-10-09 16:55, "ext Hammond, Tony (ELSLON)" <T.Hammond@elsevier.com>
wrote:

> Hi Patrick:
> 
>> IMO, whether something is on the web or
>> not has less to do with the scheme of a
>> URI denoting it as to whether one can
>> access representations of that thing.
> 
> There I must respectfully beg to differ. I assert that there is utility
> beyond dereference. And that utility puts that resource (as referenced by
> that URI) full square onto the Web. An admission to entry.

Well, it seems we will simply have to disagree on that point.

>> I'm sorry to be such a naysayer, but I see the
>> info: URI scheme to be both unnecessary
>> and (more regettable) a hinderance to
>> establishing a standardised URI based
>> means of referring to key industry terms
>> in a way that maximises their utiity to web
>> and SW agents by merit of providing access
>> to their definitions directly via those URIs.
> 
> Would that all namespace authorities be minded to deliver such definitions.
> (Yes, really!) Unfortunately I don't see that as happening any time soon
> now. So, if there's no authoritative metadata, then getting the identifiers
> onto the Web (via a URI) is IMO a pretty darn good start.

You missed a crucial point I was trying to make in an earlier
post. Just because one uses an http: URI does *not* mean that they
must provide for resolution of that URI to representations or
description. But it gives them the possibility to do so, in the
future, if/when it is desireable and/or possible.

Yes, having *any* URI denotation for these key terms will be useful,
in the short term; but in the long term, I think that the adoption
of info: URIs for these terms will cause more grief than benefit,
particularly when folks realize that they really need/want to use
those URIs to get at information about the denoted resources and
have to start creating ad-hoc solutions to do so.

If http: URIs are used from the start, there is no immediate requirement
to provide dereferencability, but if/when the need/desire arises,
it's trivial to provide it. All the bits of the infrastructure are
there and waiting to be used.

Patrick

> Tony
> 
> Tony Hammond
> Advanced Technology Group, Elsevier
> 32 Jamestown Road, London NW1 7BY, UK
> 
> <tel:+44-20-7424-4445>
> <mailto:t.hammond@elsevier.com>
>

Received on Friday, 10 October 2003 06:49:05 UTC