- From: Tim Berners-Lee <timbl@w3.org>
- Date: Fri, 1 Nov 2002 14:42:03 +0100
- To: Tim Berners-Lee <timbl@w3.org>
- Cc: w3c-rdfcore-wg@w3.org
I'd just point out that if one wanted to make the n-triples design look compatible with n3's path syntax from the point of view of user understanding, that in the path syntax, traversal (the derivation of new bnodes by specifying a forward or reverse property) goes from left to right. "10"^^xsd:integer would be the way around, where ^^ could be informally read as something like "interpreted as". I think as a syntax its more common by analogy with (eg) units to put the units at the end. While ^^ is not a real traversal operator (operating at the syntax level in the parser and never being visible in the triples produced), it doens't *have* to be compatible with path syntx, and of course n-triples nd n3 don't *have* to be subset and superset. It's just a question of trying to minimize the messing with the user's brain, reducing learning etc. I think the examples I had in my last message were the wrong way around. Tim PS: Language design is a question of balancing different metaphors to make it more natural. I have listed some of the choices in the path syntax in http://www.w3.org/DesignIssues/N3Alternatives
Received on Friday, 1 November 2002 08:41:44 UTC