Re: Semantic Ambiguity

* [2010-11-12 15:33:01 +0100] Henry Story <henry.story@bblfish.net> écrit:

] I'd start differently. Start with the social web, and simple terms such
] as foaf and sioc. The build up meanings from the ground up, piece by
] piece by introducing value at each point in the game.

FOAF avoided a minefield by using foaf:knows instead of e.g
foaf:friend. Still, what exactly it means that a foaf:knows b is kept
deliberately vague. It probably has as many interpretations as there
are FOAF profiles.

Maybe there is some basic consensus about the meaning which is the
intersection of all (non-pathological) interpretations. But chosing
the appropriate interpretation depends very much on the context or
purpose of the communication or task at hand. In your slides I think
you have implicitly assumed a context which has something to do with
very basic questions of identity -- this is useful but is hardly the
only context in which foaf:knows links between people can be
considered and it isn't at all clear if the assumptions you make will
hold in other contexts.

] Global naming is going to be useful, but by taking such a big
] problem, the linked data community is just confronting many big problems
] simultaneously, which is why it can seem intractable. The network effect
] will end up working itself out. 

This seems very hand-wavy to me. I agree that global naming is
useful. But sorting out the myriad interpretations of these global
names is a hard problem that I don't think is going to just work
itself out.

Cheers,
-w
-- 
William Waites
http://eris.okfn.org/ww/foaf#i
9C7E F636 52F6 1004 E40A  E565 98E3 BBF3 8320 7664

Received on Sunday, 14 November 2010 12:34:15 UTC