Re: Symbolic vs Numeric identifiers (was Re: URL internationalization!)
Gavin Nicol (gtn@ebt.com)
Thu, 27 Feb 1997 08:43:51 -0500
Date: Thu, 27 Feb 1997 08:43:51 -0500
From: gtn@ebt.com (Gavin Nicol)
Message-Id: <199702271343.IAA24050@nathaniel.ebt>
To: mduerst@ifi.unizh.ch
Cc: liberte@ncsa.uiuc.edu, gjw@wnetc.com, uri@bunyip.com
In-Reply-To: <Pine.SUN.3.95q.970226183357.245S-100000@enoshima> (mduerst@ifi.unizh.ch)
Subject: Re: Symbolic vs Numeric identifiers (was Re: URL internationalization!)
>> Another way to describe this division is symbolic versus numeric
>> identifiers. URLs are already symbolic, and as such, they belong in
>> the column with filenames and domain names.
>
>Comming back to URL internationalization, I think the distinction
>between symbolic and numeric identifiers is a very useful one.
Right. The fundamental argument here is whether URL's are supposed to
be completely opaque or not. Given current usage, it's awfully hard
to make a case for opaqueness... not that I think the opaque
representation concept isn't useful: I think it's vital.