- From: Dan Connolly <connolly@w3.org>
- Date: Thu, 15 Nov 2001 09:24:39 -0600
- To: Brian McBride <bwm@hplb.hpl.hp.com>
- CC: Pat Hayes <phayes@ai.uwf.edu>, w3c-rdfcore-wg@w3.org
Brian McBride wrote:
[...]
> >> http://www.w3.org/2000/03/rdf-tracking/#rdfms-assertion
[...]
Sorry, I can't let this one get swept under the rug...
> I'm really suggesting that the model theory is all we are going to say about the
> meaning of RDF. What the law chooses to do about folks who put RDF statements
> on web pages is a matter for lawyers and politicians, not for us.
On the contrary: the RDF Core WG is in the W3C Technology
and Society domain for a reason: to make the connection
between bits on the wire and social obligations.
There is some crazy laywer running around trying to encourage
web site owners to screw up their P3P policy files in such
a way as to be able to disclaim responsibility for their content.
[P3P isn't quite written in RDF, but it was supposed to
be, and should be, in a future revision, I hope].
I suggest that this WG has an obligation to say that no,
that's not consistent with the community's agreement
about how this technology works.
If you write, in RDF,
"This is an offer to sell widgets for $200 ea"
ala*
<> a ucc:Offer;
ucc:itemClass myCatalog:Widget;
ucc:price [ ucc:USD [ dt:decimal "200" ]].
where ucc: is bound to a "Uniform commercial code"
schema, ratified by some 47 out of the 50 United States,
and you serve that document via an HTTP 200 response,
then you are in fact obliged to honor that offer just
as if it were published in a printed catalog.
The HTTP 200 bit is quite relevant... this issue has
a lot to do with the protocol context in which RDF is used.
As such, I originally considered this issue part of
http://www.w3.org/2000/03/rdf-tracking/#mime-types-for-rdf-docs
but it was split out.
* here it is again in RDF/xml and n-triples:
--8<--
<rdf:RDF xmlns="http://example/ucc-vocab#"
xmlns:dt="http://example/datatype-vocab#"
xmlns:log="http://www.w3.org/2000/10/swap/log#"
xmlns:myCatalog="http://example/catalog/item#"
xmlns:rdf="http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns#">
<Offer rdf:about="">
<itemClass rdf:resource="http://example/catalog/item#Widget"/>
<price rdf:parseType="Resource">
<USD rdf:parseType="Resource">
<dt:decimal>200</dt:decimal>
</USD>
</price>
</Offer>
</rdf:RDF>
--8<--
--8<--
<file:/home/connolly/w3ccvs/WWW/2000/10/swap/test/offer.n3>
<http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns#type>
<http://example/ucc-vocab#Offer> .
<file:/home/connolly/w3ccvs/WWW/2000/10/swap/test/offer.n3>
<http://example/ucc-vocab#itemClass>
<http://example/catalog/item#Widget> .
<file:/home/connolly/w3ccvs/WWW/2000/10/swap/test/offer.n3>
<http://example/ucc-vocab#price> _:a0 .
_:a0 <http://example/ucc-vocab#USD> _:a1 .
_:a1 <http://example/datatype-vocab#decimal> "200" .
--8<--
--
Dan Connolly, W3C http://www.w3.org/People/Connolly/
Received on Thursday, 15 November 2001 10:27:30 UTC