Generalized triples (Fwd: Non-Javascript RDF API-s?)

A followup on the issue on generalized triples.

Ivan

Begin forwarded message:

> From: Dave Reynolds <dave@epimorphics.com>
> Date: January 12, 2011 17:15:00 GMT+01:00
> To: Ivan Herman <ivan@w3.org>
> Cc: "andy.seaborne" <andy.seaborne@epimorphics.com>
> Subject: Re: Non-Javascript RDF API-s?
> message-id: <1294848900.1622.141.camel@dave-desktop>
> 
> On Wed, 2011-01-12 at 14:52 +0100, Ivan Herman wrote: 
>> On Jan 12, 2011, at 14:46 , Dave Reynolds wrote:
>> 
>>>> 
>>>> Heh. The discussion is raging exactly on those issues right now! Although I do have some reasons to back up generalized triples:
>>>> 
>>>> http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/public-rdfa-wg/2011Jan/0063.html
>>> 
>>> Sure. As you probably know Jena supports generalized triples internally
>>> and indeed it is useful for reasoning. 
>>> 
>>> However, *just* having generalized triples and not also an
>>> RDF-conformant API is a pretty big step with implications for the RDF
>>> WG! Certainly means it can't be a general purpose API given that some
>>> existing backends can't support generalized triples.
>>> 
>> 
>> To be honest, I am not sure I fully understand what you mean here. :-(
> 
> If you only provide a generalized triples API then you encourage people
> to create or assume graphs that can't currently be serialized and
> shared. Bad thing. Especially since changing that is currently
> explicitly "out of scope" for the RDF working group.
> 
> If you only provide an API matching the RDF syntactic constraints you
> limit future options if the spec eventually changes and you make writing
> things like inference engines using the API harder.
> 
> Jena's solution is to have the internal "SPI" provide generalized
> triples but have the normal convenience API enforce the RDF constraints.
> 
> That way normal users produce data which they can serialize but backend
> providers and inference engine developers can work without constraints.
> 
> All a matter of goals for the API. 
> 
> Cheers,
> Dave
> 
> 


----
Ivan Herman, W3C Semantic Web Activity Lead
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