Re: What is a URL? And What is a URI

Dave,

Thanks!

I was working on a much longer and convoluted response. 

Best to refer to the canonical source and let it go.

Patrick


On Fri, 2010-11-12 at 09:22 +0000, Dave Reynolds wrote:
> On Thu, 2010-11-11 at 12:52 -0500, Kingsley Idehen wrote:
> > All,
> > 
> > As the conversation about HTTP responses evolves, I am inclined to
> > believe that most still believe that:
> > 
> > 1. URL is equivalent to a URI
> > 2. URI is a fancier term for URI
> > 3. URI is equivalent to URL.
> > 
> > I think my opinion on this matter is clear, but I am very interested
> > in the views of anyone that don't agree with the following:
> > 
> > 1. URI is an abstraction for Identifiers that work at InterWeb scale
> > 2. A URI can serve as a Name
> > 3. A URI can serve as an Address
> > 4. A Name != Address
> > 5. We locate Data at Addresses
> > 6. Names can be used to provide indirection to Addresses i.e., Names
> > can Resolve to Data.
> 
> Why would this be a matter of opinion? :) 
> 
> After all RFC3986 et al are Standards Track and have quite clear
> statements on what Identifier connotes in the context of URI.
> Such as:
> 
> """
> Identifier 
> 
>       An identifier embodies the information required to distinguish
>       what is being identified from all other things within its scope of
>       identification.  Our use of the terms "identify" and "identifying"
>       refer to this purpose of distinguishing one resource from all
>       other resources, regardless of how that purpose is accomplished
>       (e.g., by name, address, or context).  These terms should not be
>       mistaken as an assumption that an identifier defines or embodies
>       the identity of what is referenced, though that may be the case
>       for some identifiers.  Nor should it be assumed that a system
>       using URIs will access the resource identified: in many cases,
>       URIs are used to denote resources without any intention that they
>       be accessed.
> """
> 
> Dave
> 
>

Received on Friday, 12 November 2010 11:00:44 UTC