- From: Kendall Clark <kendall@monkeyfist.com>
- Date: Mon, 8 Nov 2004 09:54:41 -0500
- To: Dirk-Willem van Gulik <dirkx@webweaving.org>
- Cc: Kendall Clark <kendall@monkeyfist.com>, Dave Beckett <dave.beckett@bristol.ac.uk>, RDF Data Access Working Group <public-rdf-dawg@w3.org>
On Mon, Nov 08, 2004 at 06:17:53AM -0800, Dirk-Willem van Gulik wrote: > > > On Mon, 8 Nov 2004, Kendall Clark wrote: > > > most well-known RDF query language, which suggests that more people > > are used to seeing variables prefixed with "?" than with other > > characters. Upsetting their apple carts seems a mistake, if it can > > be avoided. > > Given that there is barely an apple seed in that cart (compared to the > real SQL world out there) - that is of very little concern to the industry > at large I'd say. Yes, in general, transitions between systems are vulnerable points in a process. Some of us, I suppose, manage this vulnerability by trying to preserve what we already think we have in our pockets; others of us do so by reaching out to what new things we might acquire. I don't know of a principled way to finesse this problem. I think the usability argument trumps others, but it's not a slam dunk, itself, and can be seen in several ways. Hence, my actual position is to allow both "$" and "?", though not mixed in one query, and stop worrying about "needless complexity". Or, rather, worry about it in more tractable ways. > Though your arguments about choosing not to care are perfectly valid - as > not everyone will encounter SQL. Yep. Kendall Clark -- Sometimes it's appropriate, even patriotic, to be ashamed of your country. -- James Howard Kunstler
Received on Monday, 8 November 2004 14:56:13 UTC