Call for Implementation: Resource Description Framework (RDF) Schema Specification Becomes a W3C Candidate Recommendation

The Resource Description Framework (RDF) Schema Specification 
has received editorial revisions and today is published as a 
W3C Candidate Recommendation.

The specification is available at:

  http://www.w3.org/TR/2000/CR-rdf-schema-20000327

>From the RDF Schema Abstract:

        This specification describes how to use RDF to describe 
        RDF vocabularies. The specification also defines a basic 
        vocabulary for this purpose, as well as an extensibility 
        mechanism to anticipate future additions to RDF. 

>From the W3C Process Document on Candidate Recommendations, section
6.2.3 at:

http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Process/Process-19991111/tr.html#RecsCR

        Advancement of a document to Candidate Recommendation is an 
        explicit call to those outside of the related Working Groups 
        or the W3C itself for implementation and technical feedback. 
        There is no requirement that a Working Draft have two 
        independent and interoperable implementations to become a 
        Candidate Recommendation. Instead, this is the phase at which 
        the Working Group is responsible for formally acquiring that 
        experience or at least defining the expectations 
        of implementation.

The RDF Schema Candidate Recommendation is an editorial revision and 
updates the previous RDF Schema Proposed Recommendation. As part of 
the editorial changes, the document editors have also extracted part of 
the original RDF Schema Proposed Recommendation illustrating a way to 
represent PICS 1.1 in RDF and published it as a W3C Note. The title is 
"PICS Rating Vocabularies in XML/RDF," and can be found at:

http://www.w3.org/TR/2000/NOTE-rdf-pics-20000327

>From the Abstract:

        PICS, the Platform for Internet Content Selection, is a 
        system for associating metadata (PICS "labels") with 
        Internet content. PICS provides a mechanism whereby 
        independent groups can develop metadata vocabularies 
        without naming conflict. The syntax of a PICS label is 
        very compact and does not use and of the subsequent Web 
        technology such as XML and XSL. RDF, the Resource Description
        Framework, provides a model for representing metadata that is 
        even more general than PICS, with more expressive power, and 
        uses XML syntax. A goal of RDF was to permit the mechanical 
        translation of PICS metadata into RDF form. This document 
        represents one possible mapping of PICS into XML/RDF.

>From Status of this Document:

        A Note is a dated, public record of an idea, comment, or 
        document made available by the W3C for discussion only.  
        The publication of a Note does not imply endorsement of its 
        contents by W3C.

--------------------------------------
Reasoning for Candidate Recommendation
--------------------------------------

Based on Member feedback of the first RDF Schema Proposed
Recommendation, the director asked for a briefing document 
outlining an architectural relationship between RDF Schema 
and XML Schema work.

Members from the RDF Schema and XML Schema communities met and produced
the Cambridge Communiqué, at:

http://www.w3.org/TR/1999/NOTE-schema-arch-19991007

The points addressed in this document are not the only markers of
progress on RDF Schema. Progress made by the XML Schema Working 
Group, contributions and feedback from the RDF Interest Group, 
and the development of the Candidate Recommendation state to the 
W3C Recommendation track have all served the developing specification.  

The combination of developments led me to conclude that it is most
appropriate to consider the RDF Schema specification in Candidate
Recommendation phase and to republish the document with editorial
updates as a new W3C Candidate Recommendation.

------------
Next Actions
------------

During the Candidate Recommendation phase, the W3C solicits detailed
implementation and technical feedback on the specification. Several
projects are currently implementing RDF Schema. The Working Group would
like to see more implementations and receive feedback. 

The WG asks that comments and, in particular, any comments that are
accompanied by requested changes to the specification, be made to

        www-rdf-comments@w3.org 

prior to 15 June 2000.

The disposition of comments is maintained at:

        http://www.w3.org/2000/03/rdfschemacomments

and will be revised during the review period.

The RDF WG acknowledges and appreciates the feedback and suggestions
already made in the RDF Interest Group, archived at:

http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/www-rdf-interest/

The interest of the community in enhancing all parts of RDF is
appreciated, and evidence of that interest is important in prioritizing
future work.


for Tim Berners-Lee, Director
Janet Daly, Head of Public Relations

=====================================

World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)

Janet Daly, Head of Public Relations
+1.617.253.5884
janet@w3.org

Received on Monday, 27 March 2000 15:58:43 UTC