Re: Late, but possibly useful, comments on SPARQL Last Call WD

Andy,

Many thanks for the response to my pathetically small number of comments :^)

I appreciate and accept the changes and explanations you provided.

Thanks!
    Jim

At 4/12/2006 03:51 AM, Seaborne, Andy wrote:
>Jim,
>
>Thank you for the comments: changes noted and explanation as noted below:
>
>Jim Melton wrote:
>>Gentlepeople,
>>I offer my apologies for failing to submit comments on the most recent 
>>SPARQL Last Call Working Draft [1] by the stated deadline.  I hereby 
>>submit these mostly editorial comments in the hope that they may be 
>>useful even though late.  I emphasize that these comments are my personal 
>>comments and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of my employer 
>>(Oracle) or the Working Group that I co-chair (XML Query WG).
>>1) In section 1, Introduction, second paragraph, the first bullet 
>>currently reads:
>>    * extract information in the form of URIs, blank nodes, plain and 
>> typed literals.
>>I believe that the word "and" should be inserted immediate prior to the 
>>word "plain"; otherwise, one might be misled into thinking that one could 
>>"extract information in the form of plain".
>
>Changed to "URIs, blank nodes and literals." as literals covers plain and 
>typed RDF literals.
>
>>2) In section 2.1.2, Syntax for Literals, I note that "an optional 
>>language tag (introduced by @)" is part of the syntax.  Am I the first 
>>person to observe that XPath users may be discomfited by this convention, 
>>since the "@" is used in that language as a shorthand notation to 
>>indicate an XML attribute?  Surely there is another character or 
>>character sequence that would not intrude on that XPath convention.
>
>The choice of the "@" character is taken from commonly used in (non-XML) 
>RDF serializations derived from N3 (N-Triples, Turtle).  The working group 
>decided to use a syntax that meant that a piece of N3 or Turtle could be 
>used as a template for placed in a query by replacing some RDF terms with 
>variables.
>
>>3) In section 2.1.3, Syntax for Variables, I read: '...it is the same 
>>variable everywhere in the query that the same name is used. Variables 
>>are indicated by "?"; the "?" does not form part of the variable.'  There 
>>are two things wrong with that text.  First, the phrase "it is the same 
>>variable everywhere..." is awkward; I would suggest rephrasing that along 
>>the lines of 'everywhere in a query that a given variable name is used, 
>>that name identifies the same variable'.
>
>Reworded as:
>
>"""
>Variables in SPARQL queries have global scope; use of a given name 
>anywhere in a query identifies the same variable.
>"""
>
>   Second, the phrase 'the "?" does
>>not form part of the variable' is a non-sequitor; I doubt that anybody 
>>would think otherwise.  I believe that you meant to say 'the "?" does not 
>>form part of the variable name'.
>
>Reworded as:
>"""
>the "?" does not form part of the variable name.
>"""
>
>>4) In section 2.2, Initial Definitions, the fifth paragraph claims "Note 
>>that all IRIs are absolute."  This is in direct conflict with the 
>>subheading in section 2.1.1, Syntax for IRIs, "Relative IRIs", and the 
>>text that follows that subheading.  While I have no reason to dispute the 
>>statement in section 2.2, the discrepancy must be resolved.
>
>The difference is that the syntax allows relative IRIs : the parsing 
>process will have to resolve these because RDF and SPARQL operate on 
>absolute IRIs.
>
>Section 2.1.1 does say that "SPARQL provides two abbreviation mechanisms 
>for IRIs".  I have changed this to "The SPARQL syntax"
>
>In 2.2 I added a sentence
>
>"""
>The abbreviated forms (relative IRIs and prefixed names) in the SPARQL 
>syntax are resolved to produce absolute IRIs.
>"""
>
>>5) In section 2.8.2, Object Lists, the second paragraph contains the word 
>>"tripe" and the non-word "shodul"; "triple" and "should", respectively, 
>>were intended.  Similarly, the phrase "one of the other" should be "one 
>>or the other".
>
>All tripe has been removed from the document.
>
>Similar, the other typos are gone.
>
>>6) In section 2.8.4, RDF Collections, the phrase "then triple patterns" 
>>is used, but seems awkward at best.  Should this be "the triple patterns" 
>>or merely "triple patterns"?
>
>s/then triple patterns/triple patterns/
>
>
>>7) The second section 2.8.4, rdf:type, should probably be numbered 2.8.5.
>
>Corrected (the TOC is already correct).
>
>>8) In the second section 2.8.4, rdf:type, the keyword "a" is 
>>described.  That is a fairly unfortunate spelling, and it's probably too 
>>late to do anything about it.  But I would have thought that "isA" would 
>>be a much more obvious, and more readily pronounceable (in context), spelling.
>
>Like "@" the use of keywrod "a" is yaken from N3 and dervives 
>serializations of RDF.
>
>>
>>I regret that I am unable to continue my review at this time due to 
>>overwhelming other commitments.
>
>>Hope this helps,
>>     Jim
>
>Thank you for the time you have been able to find for review
>of the SPARQL query language document.
>
>     Andy
>
>>[1] http://www.w3.org/TR/2006/WD-rdf-sparql-query-20060220/
>>========================================================================
>>Jim Melton --- Editor of ISO/IEC 9075-* (SQL)     Phone: +1.801.942.0144
>>    Co-Chair, W3C XML Query WG; F&O (etc.) editor    Fax : +1.801.942.3345
>>Oracle Corporation        Oracle Email: jim dot melton at oracle dot com
>>1930 Viscounti Drive      Standards email: jim dot melton at acm dot org
>>Sandy, UT 84093-1063 USA          Personal email: jim at melton dot name
>>========================================================================
>>=  Facts are facts.   But any opinions expressed are the opinions      =
>>=  only of myself and may or may not reflect the opinions of anybody   =
>>=  else with whom I may or may not have discussed the issues at hand.  =
>>========================================================================
>

========================================================================
Jim Melton --- Editor of ISO/IEC 9075-* (SQL)     Phone: +1.801.942.0144
   Co-Chair, W3C XML Query WG; F&O (etc.) editor    Fax : +1.801.942.3345
Oracle Corporation        Oracle Email: jim dot melton at oracle dot com
1930 Viscounti Drive      Standards email: jim dot melton at acm dot org
Sandy, UT 84093-1063 USA          Personal email: jim at melton dot name
========================================================================
=  Facts are facts.   But any opinions expressed are the opinions      =
=  only of myself and may or may not reflect the opinions of anybody   =
=  else with whom I may or may not have discussed the issues at hand.  =
========================================================================

Received on Thursday, 13 April 2006 20:20:03 UTC