Re: Linking RDF

Aaron Swartz wrote:
> 
> Danny Ayers <danny@panlanka.net> wrote:
> 
> > Experimental engines that do stuff with the RDF could easily be rigged to
> > recognise a link from rdf.png.
> 
> I'd actually prefer if we used a common REL attribute. I've heard
> suggestions of "meta" and "rdf". This would also work with LINK elements
> too. Then we could do something like this:
> 
>     <a href="...rdfversion.rdf" rel="rdf">...</a>
> 
> We could also stick stuff in the head of the document:
> 
>     <link rel="rdf" href=".../rdfversion.rdf" />
> 
> I'd like this much better than just guessing at rdf.png.
> 
> What do others think? Has this been decided before? Perhaps we should use a
> URI?
> 
>     rel="http://www.w3.org/RDF/"

The contents of the 'rel' attribute is declared as %LinkTypes;, a 
space-separated list of XML Names; a URI won't do here. I kinda like the 
suggestion of using the 'type' attribute, which was designed to provide
a MIME type. Problem is, "application/rdf+xml" is less than useful here.

I feel like I'm not making any progress here though in one idea, and 
that is that linking to "RDF" is almost like linking to "XML" -- one 
needs to specify what specific grammar of RDF is being served. Otherwise,
the processor has no understanding of the semantics of the received RDF.

I don't think there's a MIME type for Dublin Core, and of course there
won't be for author-designed RDF types. So 'type' doesn't really work
that well either. Ideally, a namespace URI (ironically) would probably
be best, since that allows for author-designed RDF applications, and
doesn't force anyone to use only those RDF applications approved by a
specific body. I advocated XML notations because the NOTATION 
declarations allow for both FPIs and URIs in declaring 'type'. There's
currently no attribute on <link> that allows for this type of feature,
which is why I've never travelled down this road before. But there
*could* be in XHTML 2.0 if people made enough noise, and convinced the
HTML WG that this was a good and necessary feature.

Murray

...........................................................................
Murray Altheim, SGML/XML Grease Monkey     <mailto:altheim&#64;eng.sun.com>
XML Technology Center
Sun Microsystems, 1601 Willow Rd., MS UMPK17-102, Menlo Park, CA 94025

      the wood louse sits on a splinter and sings to the rising sap
      ain't it awful how winter lingers in springtimes lap -- archy

Received on Wednesday, 18 April 2001 18:29:26 UTC