RE: "If" and "else" in RDF

'If' and 'else' are pure Boolean constructs, which I know there origin but
they are purely computer expressions which have never fitted a human model.
'Is' and 'Type of' can be gained purely from the relation and context of
data ontologies and is more humanised.

Boolean is about expressing something in it's simplest form and that is what
will eventually make RDF. Constructs of RDF can provide that logic leaving
RDF to be as pure and as simple as possible.

If you want incomprehensible spaghetti mark-up then concentrate on XML
schema as I am sure there is more left to be implemented.


-----Original Message-----
From: www-rdf-interest-request@w3.org
[mailto:www-rdf-interest-request@w3.org]On Behalf Of Seth Russell
Sent: 28 April 2001 17:29
To: info@jan-winkler.de; www-rdf-interest@w3.org
Subject: Re: "If" and "else" in RDF


Jan Winkler asks:

>Why is there nothing like if and else [in RDF] ?

I think James Tauber has shown a way to do this in RDF.  But I still have
some questions about what representing a  "if then\else"  relation in a RDF
model might mean:

Doesn't the "if <class> then <value>"  construct need to be relative to some
active process?

For example: if the RDF model knows {Seth isA Male} and {Male addressedBy
"Mr"} and {[; young Male] addressedBy "boy"}, what is the value of the
<value> ?

In other words:  me thinks we will need to put the OO programming model in
the RDF scheme of things before we will be able to do anything useful with a
"if\then" construct.    But I don't see any reason we shouldn't, I just
don't know anybody who has .... do you?

Seth

Received on Saturday, 28 April 2001 19:30:08 UTC