- From: Jeremy Carroll <jjc@hplb.hpl.hp.com>
- Date: Fri, 19 Oct 2001 09:52:16 +0100
- To: w3c-rdfcore-wg@w3.org
I think I was mistaken thinking the following ... Jeremy: > 4: The current spec is how it is because of an editorial oversight. This > is an honest-to-goodness error, and should be corrected. [meaning a 'drafting' error rather than a 'design' or 'review' error] I now believe that it is probable that when the first versions of the critical paragraphs were drafted the intent was an exclusive reading. On a re-examination of the archive I think I have understood the original motivation. Summary: -------- In early WDs the serialization syntax and the abbreviated syntax were separate, with only the new productions in the abbreviated syntax. These new productions introduced property attributes; they all permitted identical attributes; hence the semantics of these attributes were made uniform accross the three productions (desciption with propAttrs, typedNode with propAttrs and propertyElt with propAttrs). The reification reading of rdf:ID, and early versions of para 214, were in the description of the serialization syntax (a distinct subsection from the abbreviated syntax); while the descriptions of all the attributes in the abbreviated form were largely identical across the different productions in the abbreviated form. Sources: -------- The following draft introduced the abbreviated syntax http://www.w3.org/RDF/Group/9711/WD-rdf-syntax-971114/ but does not describe what an id attribute on any property element means. The first text describing what the id attribute on property elements mean is found in http://www.w3.org/RDF/Group/1998/01/WD-rdf-syntax-19980111/ This crucially introduces early versions of all critical paragraphs in distinct sections of the document. In its discussion of the serialization syntax (section 3.1) [[[ The value of the ID attribute, if specified, is the identifier for the node that represents the reification of the property. ]]] In the discussion of the abbreviated syntax we have: [[[ ... else if ID is specified R is a new node whose identifier is the value of the attribute, ... ]]] At the same time the group were making major advances in their understanding of reification and how to serialize it. bagID is introduced in: Ralph Swick (Dec 8 1997) http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Member/w3c-rdf-syntax-wg/1997Dec/0087 (The issue list is: http://www.w3.org/RDF/Group/Syntax/issuesd.html ) Prior to bagID the same concept was represented by id. Hence, it remains plausible (but not probable) that this use of id on propertyElt's with propAttr's was some sort of left-over from the older notation. I may still explore what happened when the text for the serialized syntax and the abbreviated syntax got merged; and when RDF:href got split into rdf:about on descriptions and rdf:resource on propertyElt's. The latter removes the regularity of the treatment of *all* attributes accross the abbreviated syntax productions; and hence makes it difficult to sustain any non-historical motivation for a non-reifying reading of rdf:ID. Jeremy
Received on Friday, 19 October 2001 04:47:52 UTC