[RDF-Concepts:pfps-15] Can RDF say anything about anything?

Peter,

With reference to your messages:
[1] http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/www-rdf-comments/2003JanMar/0148.html
[2] http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/www-rdf-comments/2003JanMar/0175.html
[3] http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/www-rdf-comments/2003JanMar/0193.html

I accept a need for some editorial revision.  This issue has been recorded 
as WG issue pfps-15.  The remainder of this message is to clarify the 
extent of changes needed.

You seem to claim there is a contradiction surrounding the question "Can 
RDF say anything about anything?"

I agree the phrase "Say anything about anything" is broken (I think "Anyone 
can say something about anything" is closer to the intended goal 
here.)  However, this phrase does not appear in the last-call version of 
the concepts document [4].

[4] http://www.w3.org/TR/2003/WD-rdf-concepts-20030123/

I think that your comments suggest improvements in the following areas:
- clarify whether or not certain URIs are reserved from use in the
   abstract syntax, corresponding to the restrictions in the RDF/XML
   syntax [5]
- clarify the notion of "what is sanctioned by the RDF specification";
   I think the text about what is sanctioned by RDF may
   require some clarification:  some rdf/rdfs URIs are
   reserved by RDF/XML for specific syntactic purposes, and
   may not be used to denote resources (e.g. rdf:ID);
   other rdf/rdfs URIs are reserved to identify specific
   concepts, for which the corresponding resource is
   constrained by the RDF specifications, and may not be
   given an interpretation that is at variance with them.

[5] http://www.w3.org/TR/rdf-syntax-grammar/#section-grammar-summary

However, I am at a loss to understand why being able to say something about 
anything is in contradiction with the idea that the language has certain 
syntactic restrictions.

#g


-------------------
Graham Klyne
<GK@NineByNine.org>

Received on Wednesday, 19 February 2003 11:28:39 UTC