RDF Schema confusion in RDF Primer

In the RDF Primer working draft 26 April 2002, the following section is
included, copied from the old RDF Schema working draft:

<!-- Note: this RDF schema would typically be used in RDF instance data
by referencing it with an XML namespace declaration, for example
xmlns:xyz="http://www.w3.org/2000/03/example/vehicles#".  This allows
us to use abbreviations such as xyz:MotorVehicle to refer
unambiguously to the RDF class 'MotorVehicle'. -->

That's correct for *usage* of the RDF vocabulary being defined, but it's not
clear (and was not clear in the old RDF Schema specification) that in order
for IDs to actually work for *defining* the RDF vocabulary, an
xml:base="http://www.w3.org/2000/03/example/vehicles" will have to be
present.

The new RDF Schema draft, "Appendix B: RDF Schema as RDF/XML", would be more
concise using an xml:base="http://www.w3.org/2000/01/rdf-schema" and using
IDs rather than rdf:abouts to define the classes and properties, but that's
really an issue of style and readability.

Garret

Received on Saturday, 4 May 2002 15:33:18 UTC