Proposed response for timbl-02 (reification semantics) (V3)

This version has a link to the decision, per Brian's suggestion.

This version has a link to Patrick's message as another use-case, and 
mentions that we'll add some additional "health warnings".

<draft text>
With reference to:
   http://www.w3.org/2001/sw/RDFCore/20030123-issues/#timbl-02

Having considered your comment about changing the semantics of reification, 
and subsequent suggestions to remove reification altogether [2] the RDFCore 
WG has resolved

   http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/w3c-rdfcore-wg/2003Apr/0128.html

not to accept this comment.  (This response does not address the bagId 
question you raised, which is being dealt with in a separate response.)

In our discussions, we noted three significant applications that use 
reificiation as currently defined ([1], [5], and one other user (RolandS?) 
who was reported to use reification as currently defined).  We note and 
agree that reification as defined does not address the particular problems 
you hoped it would solve [3], but considering that other users of RDF have 
found it useful leads us to the conclusion that reification should remain 
as defined.

We believe that the clarification of reification that you suggest [3] is 
provided by the discussion and non-entailment mentioned in the RDF formal 
semantics [4].

The working group has agreed to include some additional "health warnings" 
on the corresponding semantics and schema descriptions so that folks are 
alerted to some uses for which reification is not appropriate.

Can you please respond to <www-rdf-comments@w3.org> indicating whether this 
response answers your concern.  Thank you.

[1] http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/w3c-rdfcore-wg/2003Apr/0108.html

[2] http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/www-rdf-comments/2003JanMar/0241.html

[3] http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/www-rdf-comments/2003JanMar/0477.html
(recorded as issue timbl-02:)
     http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/www-rdf-comments/2003JanMar/0497.html

[4] http://www.w3.org/TR/rdf-mt/#Reif

[5] http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/w3c-rdfcore-wg/2003Apr/0167.html

</draft text>

#g


-------------------
Graham Klyne
<GK@NineByNine.org>
PGP: 0FAA 69FF C083 000B A2E9  A131 01B9 1C7A DBCA CB5E

Received on Friday, 11 April 2003 09:46:50 UTC