RE: What is at the end of the namespace?

> -----Original Message-----
> From: ext Mark Baker [mailto:distobj@acm.org]
> Sent: 16 November, 2001 16:45
> To: Stickler Patrick (NRC/Tampere)
> Cc: www-talk@w3.org; uri@w3.org
> Subject: Re: What is at the end of the namespace?
> 
> 
> > > The HTTP 
> > > specification
> > > can only talk about those aspects of the protocol that 
> are relevant to
> > > HTTP. 
> > 
> > You've just summed up, IMO, the whole issue in a nutshell. The
> > HTTP URI is relevant only to the semantics of the HTTP protocol.
> > And the HTTP protocol is for *access* of concrete web resources.
> 
> Earlier you suggested that "brilliance" was abstract, yet I happen
> to have a URI for it here;
> 
> http://www.markbaker.ca/2001/11/Brilliance/

No, that's a URL to retrieve a definition of the abstract
concept 'BRILLIANCE' from a particular web location. The
fact that you have a clever redirect does not make the URL
any more suitable a representation of the abstract concept
than http://www.dictionary.com/cgi-bin/dict.pl?term=brilliance.

Because it is an HTTP URL, if it *didn't* resolve to "something"
then you are violating the expectations and intuitions inferred
by its association with the HTTP protocol, which is for accessing
"things".

I.e.

   <rdf:Description
rdf:about="voc://patrick.stickler@nokia.com/concepts/brilliance">
      <foo:definitionOf
rdf:resource="http://www.dictionary.com/cgi-bin/dict.pl?term=brilliance"/>
   </rdf:Description>

could be one way I could point to a definition of
"BRILLIANCE" as *I* conceive it, though I may choose some
other definition, or multiple definitions, as I see fit.

(I'll be submitting an I-D for the the 'voc:' URP scheme shortly... and
if you don't know what a URP is, don't worry, I'll be submitting an I-D
that explains that too...  They should be under your tree by Xmas  ;-)

Patrick