Re: ISSUE-81 (resource vs representation)

On Mon, Sep 28, 2009 at 1:56 AM, Roy T. Fielding <fielding@gbiv.com> wrote:
> The terminology used by the majority of
> Web developers is that a URI is used to identify a resource for
> the sake of manipulating its current state.

I'm a web developer, I have web developer friends, and I've connected
with lots of other web developers over technology issues.

The terminology used by the majority of Web developers is that a UR*L*
is used to identify a thing on the web that you can point a link at.

The majority of web developers may have seen the term URI before, but
correctly surmised that it's a synonym of URL in practice.

Any of the other possible terms for that same idea (IRI, HURL, LEIRI,
etc.) are completely unknown by the majority of web developers, but if
someone *did* stumble across one of those terms with adequate context
to understand it, they'd again conclude that it's just a synonym for
URL in practice.

URL is the common term for that entire bag of concepts.  The
distinctions are irrelevant in practice to web developers, though they
may have some significance to people developing infrastructure.  You
certainly don't need to be a browser developer to not care about the
distinctions.

~TJ

Received on Monday, 28 September 2009 13:33:47 UTC