RE: [httpRange-14] What do HTTP URIs Identify?

> > But I am puzzled how this has ANY bearing on the following "axiom":
> >
> > "If two people independently use the same URI as an identifier, they
> > should be able to have a reasonable degree of confidence that they
> > are identifying the same resource.
> 
> Where is that confidence supposed to come from?

That's irrelevant.  The confidence has to come from *somewhere*.  URIs
are as good a place as any, especially considering THAT'S WHAT THEY WERE
CREATED FOR.

> In which case the "axiom" tells you not to use http://www.w3.org/ as
an 
> identifier, which is ridiculous; or not to use it independently (ie.
reach > some explicit agreement about it's use with all relevant
parties), which 
> is typically impractical.

It tells you no such thing.  The resource that http://www.w3.org
identifies is whatever people use it to identify.  In practice, that
currently amounts to "some thing that I can point a web browser at and
get information about the W3C".  That's good enough for me.  If I ever
want to identify that particular resource, http://www.w3.org is the
identifier I'll use.