RE: RDFa and Web Directions North 2009

> -----Original Message-----
> From: public-rdf-in-xhtml-tf-request@w3.org [mailto:public-rdf-in-xhtml-tf-
> request@w3.org] On Behalf Of Ben Adida
> Sent: Friday, February 13, 2009 4:51 PM
> To: Ian Hickson
> Cc: Manu Sporny; RDFa mailing list; Sam Ruby; Dan Brickley; Michael Bolger;
> public-rdfa@w3.org; Tim Berners-Lee; Dan Connolly
> Subject: Re: RDFa and Web Directions North 2009
> 
> 
> Ian Hickson wrote:
> >> So, can we look at the use cases as a whole?
> >
> > In a word, no.
> >
> > A very common architectural mistake that software engineers make is
> > looking at five problems, seeing their commonality, and attempting to
> > solve all five at once. The result is almost always a solution that is
> > sub-par for all five problems.
> 
> I think you're taking a good piece of advice -- "don't over-generalize"
> -- to the other and equally dangerous extreme.
> 

I think Ian makes a good case here.
For many years SW technology has been suggested as a plausible good answer to common problems.
But for most of these problems there have been better point solutions using non-SW technology.

We have to solve problems for which SW technology is at least as good, preferably better, than any current solution for it to take off. And then, with various economies of scale, it might also become the best answer for a range of the sort of problems that Ian is having difficulties with.

I think the problems that the WWW initially solved were ones that were unsolved at the time, or only solved rather unsatisfactorily. This got it established.

SW has had too much vision and not enough practice.

Jeremy

Received on Saturday, 14 February 2009 02:03:25 UTC