Re: URNs for personal documents?

Felix E. Klee wrote:
> * Is there are Namespace Identifier to be used for that purpose (e.g.
>   "personal_document")?

The easiest one to get is an informal URN namespace. The only 
requirement is a short note about what you're using it for and a two 
week comment period. The NID is assigned by the IANA so you'd get 
something like 'urn:urn-6:whatever'. The 'whatever' part is up to you.

> * How do I make sure that the Namespace Specific Strings are unique?  By
>   choosing random personalized strings similar to Message IDs in emails?

There are lots of methods from crypto safe random strings, to a 
sequential alpha numeric assignment. Completely up to you.

> * What database should I use to map URNs to actual document locations on
>   my hard disk?

These days that has more to do with what system you're comfortable with 
than one being worse or better than another.

> * Is there some recommended way to tag a text document with a URN? (I
>   guess not)

Most suggest using the Dublin Core methods in META tags...

> Note that, of course, I could just go ahead, add tags to my documents
> whose structure I made up, use a simple text based database to map
> these tags to documents, and write a little script that tells me the
> location of a file given a tag.  However, I'd like to know how to do it
> the "URN way".

That's pretty much the URN way, the only difference being that you're 
using a standardized URI scheme that is independent of other 
standards/systems such as DNS or HTTP.

But now that you've been inundated with the "use HTTP!", "use DOIs!", 
"use XRIs", "use PURLs!" suggestions I'm sure your more confused than 
when you started. ;-)

-MM

Received on Wednesday, 22 March 2006 20:11:39 UTC