Re: Real-world concept URIs

Hi Kingsley,

Thank you very much for your reply! Very satisfied with this response. 
This answer should be in text books.

I would summarize this thread as:

Question: Why do we refer to real-world concepts using HTTP URIs? You 
cannot GET them over HTTP anyway?
Answer: Because words denote things. The World Wide Web's architecture, 
via HTTP URIs, caters to the natural language needs of denotation, 
connotation using sentences or statements.

Kind regards,

Pieter


On 2014-07-18 13:12, Kingsley Idehen wrote:
> On 7/16/14 9:55 AM, Pieter Colpaert wrote:
>> Hi list,
>>
>> Short version:
>>
>> I want real-world concepts to be able to have a URI without a 
>> "http://". You cannot transfer any real-world concept over an 
>> Internet protocol anyway. Why I would consider changing this can be
>>
>>  * If you don't agree, why?
>>  * If you do agree, should we change the definition of a URI? Will 
>> this break existing Linked Data infrastructure? 
>
> Pieter,
>
> Short response:
>
> Words denote things.
>
> Terms are words with the added quality of meaning de-reference 
> (lookup) i.e., they have the combined qualities of denotation and 
> connotation resolution.
>
> A word and a term are slightly different [1].
>
> In natural language (system of signs, syntax, and relation semantics) 
> you construct sentences and statements using words and terms, 
> respectively.
>
> The World Wide Web's architecture, via HTTP URIs, caters to the 
> natural language needs of denotation, connotation using sentences or 
> statements.
>
> RDF enables the use of IRIs (as words) to denote things (entities) 
> described using sentences.
>
> RDF based Linked Data specifically enables the use of HTTP URIs (as 
> terms) to denote things (entities) described using statements.
>
> Longer response:
>
> "Pieter" denotes entity "You". How do I obtain a description of you 
> via the Web medium without an HTTP URI that denotes you in such a way 
> that when said URI is looked up  get a document back that describes you?
>
> From this post, I can discern the following:
>
> 1. "Pieter" is your first-name.
> 2. "Colpaert" is your last-name.
> 3. <mailto:pieter.colpaert@ugent.be> is your Email address -- you have 
> a mailbox provided by a mail server denoted by the DNS identifier 
> <dns:ugent.be> .
>
> I could make a concise machine and human comprehensible description of 
> you as follows:
>
> ## Turtle Start ##
> <>
> <http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns#type> 
> <http://xmlns.com/foaf/0.1/Document>;
> <http://www.w3.org/2000/01/rdf-schema#label> "About: Pieter Colpaert" ;
> <http://www.w3.org/2000/01/rdf-schema#comment> """Information gleaned 
> from an LOD mailing list thread about Pieter Colpaert""" ;
> <http://xmlns.com/foaf/0.1/primaryTopic><#PieterColpaert> ;
> <http://www.w3.org/2000/01/rdf-schema#seeAlso> <http://bit.ly/1fqJ5yv> .
>
> <#PieterColpaert>
> <http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns#type> 
> <http://xmlns.com/foaf/0.1/Agent> ;
> <http://xmlns.com/foaf/0.1/name> "Pieter Colpaert" ;
> <http://xmlns.com/foaf/0.1/mbox> <mailto:pieter.colpaert@ugent.be> .
>
> ## Turtle End ##
>
> Conclusion:
>
> The architecture of the Web (AWWW) isn't the problem, so we don't need 
> to change anything. If you want to provide application / service 
> specific tweaks to users (end-users or developers) simply build those 
> into the relevant solution, by simply leveraging what the underlying 
> architecture of the Web offers to you.
>
> A Web Document is a connotation vehicle. Like a piece of paper, so to 
> speak. Its something totally distinct from:
>
> [1] what's denoted by an identifier
> [2] what's described using a sentence or statement.
>
> If we couldn't use our senses to distinguish between a movie 
> projection canvas and an actual motion picture, how would we even make 
> out the movie from the projection canvas? The Web is just another 
> medium in which old rules (which existed before its creation) still 
> apply.
>
> BTW -- "httpRange-14" denotes an overrated distraction that blurs the 
> fact that all we are dealing with here (i.e., in regards to Web 
> Architecture) are age-old concepts such as:
>
> 1. entities
> 2. entity denotation
> 3. entity connotation
> 4. entity relations
> 5. encoding and decoding of information .
>
> Links:
>
> [1] http://www.wikihow.com/Differentiate-Between-a-Term-and-a-Word -- 
> difference between a Word and a Term
> [2] http://slidesha.re/QEqLZN -- RDF and Natural Language
> [3] http://bit.ly/WAJGCp -- Global Identifiers & Denotation in a 
> single slide .
>