Proposal: RDF Processor definition

Folks,

This post is related to the terminology issue: 
<http://www.w3.org/2000/03/rdf-tracking/#rdf-terminologicus>

There is a terminology document at:
<http://public.research.mimesweeper.com/RDF/RDFTerminologyConcepts.html>


Issue:

RDF M&S does not prescribe a processing model. However there are
infrequent references made to and constraints made over, RDF
processors*. This can be deemed something of a hedge, while
acknowledging the intent that RDF is to manipulated by machines. 


Some options:

1: do nothing.

2: subedit and reword the M&S, and remove all references to RDF
processors and RDF applications, excluding common-sense references to
more general applications, notably in the introductory matter. 

3: include a terminology definition of an RDF processor, and make this
distinct from an RDF application (whatever that may be).


Proposal: 

choose option 2 and subedit the current M&S to replace some uses of the
word 'application' with 'RDF Processor'. Add the definition:

RDF Processor:
Software which operates over RDF at a syntax level. Examples of RDF
Processors are parsers, validators, transformers and (de)serializers;
typically software that prepares or manipulates RDF on behalf of other
applications. The RDF Model and Syntax specification does not define a
processing model for RDF, but does make reference to such processors and
their expected behaviour in certain circumstances. 


Bill

--      
InterX        
bdehora@interx.com                           
+44(0)20-8817-4039  
www.interx.com                        


*
"In RDF terms, a literal may have content that is XML markup but is not
further evaluated by the RDF processor."

"From the standpoint of an RDF processor, facts (that is, statements)
are triples that are members of Statements."

"When an RDF processor encounters an XML element or attribute name that
is declared to be from a namespace whose name begins with the string
"http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-rdf-syntax" and the processor does not
recognize the semantics of that name then the processor is required to
skip (i.e., generate no tuples for) the entire XML element, including
its content, whose name is unrecognized or that has an attribute whose
name is unrecognized."

"An RDF processor can expect to use the schema URI to access the schema
content."

"The value 'Literal' specifies that the element content is to be treated
as an RDF/XML literal; that is, the content must not be interpreted by
an RDF processor."

"Note that this diagram is identical to the previous one with the
addition of the URI for the previously anonymous resource. From the
point of view of a second application querying this model, there is no
distinction between the statements made in a single sentence and the
statements made in separate sentences"

"Each RDF application must specify which one of the following
definitions of 'match' it uses:

the two representations are identical, or 
the two representations are canonically equivalent as defined by The
Unicode Standard [Unicode]."

"An application using a property whose value is an Alternative
collection is aware that it can choose any one of the items in the list
as appropriate."

"An application may ignore language tagging of a string."

Received on Saturday, 28 July 2001 09:47:10 UTC