Re: ISSUE-81 (resource vs representation)

On Tue, Oct 6, 2009 at 7:20 PM, Larry Masinter <masinter@adobe.com> wrote:
> There are two different concepts:
>
>  XXXX: the thing that a Uniform Resource Identifier identifies,
>        that a Uniform Resource Locator locates.
>
>  YYYY: the bits + metadata you get, when you "fetch" an XXXX.

Your definition of XXXX suggests that there's a one-to-one
correspondence between URLs and XXXXs, so why not treat them as
isomorphic?  Any reference to an XXXX can be reworded to refer to a
URL instead.  The word "resource" can then be used in more or less its
normal English meaning, to talk about YYYYs.  I think this is roughly
what the spec has done.  This usage might not accord with some other
specs, but it ends up being completely precise and unambiguous taken
by itself.  It also uses less standards jargon, and more practical
terms that anyone should understand, and at least that is a good
thing.

Received on Wednesday, 7 October 2009 01:16:20 UTC