RDFS spec: range/domain wordsmithing -- help needed

A barebones editors work-in-progress for RDFS, with some minimal changes
to the description of rdfs:domain and rdfs:range (basically I removed all
the cardinality stuff):

	http://www.w3.org/2001/sw/RDFCore/Schema/20010913/#s3.1.3

So I'm stumped for words here. We need to improve this language to
describe range/domain (intended audience: schema creators and rdf
developers not language lawyers) to reflect the new cleaner meaning. I
don't like the way things are phrased here ('must') as has overtones of
DTD-style validation instead of more neutrally describing the meaning of
range/domain.

Here's all I currently have (trimmed down version of old CR 1.0 spec):

[[

3.1.3. rdfs:range

         An instance of ConstraintProperty that is used to indicate the
class(es) that the values of a property must be
         members of. The value of a range property is always a Class.
Range constraints are only applied to properties.

         Constraints on rdfs:range

         The rdfs:domain of rdfs:range is the class rdf:Property. This
indicates that the range property applies to
         resources that are themselves properties.

         The rdfs:range of rdfs:range is the class rdfs:Class. This
indicates that any resource that is the value of a
         range property will be a class.

         3.1.4. rdfs:domain

         An instance of ConstraintProperty that is used to indicate the
class(es) on whose members some specified
         property can be used.

         Constraints on rdfs:domain

         The rdfs:domain of rdfs:domain is the class rdf:Property. This
indicates that the domain property is used
         on resources that are properties.

         The rdfs:range of rdfs:domain is the class rdfs:Class. This
indicates that any resource that is the value of
         a domain property will be a class.
]]

suggestions to the mailing list please!

Dan

Received on Thursday, 25 October 2001 18:31:11 UTC