Re: [URN] Potential inconsistency between URL and URN syntaxes...

It looks like the following questions are on the table:

	. should URN and URL syntaxes be consistent?
	
	. if yes, which should now change:

		. URLs cannot, because of legacy support, although
	 	  there is the issue of "I18N"

		. URNs "can", except that the existing syntax was
		  built for specific reasons to address issues that
		  have concerned URNs more than URLs (e.g., bringing
		  in other namespaces and addressing multiple language
		  issues).


Is it "desirable" that URN syntax be compliant with URL syntax, or "required"?
What _breaks_ if it is not?

[Ryan quotes from the URL draft:]
> > 
> >    Although this specification restricts its discussion to URLs, the
> >    syntax defined is that of URI in general.  Any requirements placed on
> >    the URL syntax also apply to the URI syntax.  This uniform syntax for
> >    all resource identifiers allows a URN to be used in any data field
> >    that might otherwise hold a URL.

This draft is for the _URL_ syntax, and this is the only paragraph that
lays claim to all of URI syntaxes.  It was written before there was a concrete
proposal for URNs.  I think the URL syntax RFC would be quite complete
_without_ this paragraph.

The URL syntax is going to face its own battles as the issues of 
character sets and languages are brought up -- it seems like now is a logical
time to separate out the evolution of these two things, _unless_ there
are some very concrete things that will break if they are not kept
consistent.

Cheers!
Leslie.

-- 

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             where  you                           Vice President, Research
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Received on Wednesday, 18 December 1996 18:24:28 UTC