Re: N3 and N-Triples (was: RDF in HTML: Approaches)

From: "Aaron Swartz" <me@aaronsw.com>
>
> Ugh, what FUD. N-Triples is the only decent standardized interchange
> format for RDF. RDF/XML is both difficult for machines to parse and for
> humans to write. N-Triples at least gets one side of the equation right
> (N3 gets the other).
>
> Perhaps we will be more "interoperable" if we stick with RDF/XML, but I
> think that's rather meaningless since it will only be adopted by the
> tiny community we already have. If we want more people to adopt RDF
> we're going to have accept that the old syntax is flawed and move on.

I tend to agree here.  It's interesting to note that most humans who
scribble NTriples, don't actually write NTriples, rather they scribble some
hybrid that allows the N3 construct 'nsPrefix:localName' to be included
inside the <uri> construct ... and sometimes they actually omit the angled
braces.   I believe this natural tendency even shows up in some of the
official W3C papers.   I think we need a legitimate (hopefully W3C
sanctioned) language that is NTiples like yet adheres more closely to the
corpora of actual NTriples scribbling.

Also I would like to complement Sean for his fine summary of this important
issue (re cited below) , and hope that the RDF Core WG will actually clarify
this issue so that authors will be encouraged to start describing their web
pages in RDF.   And while they are at it, why not define methods (whether
linking or embedding) that are serialization independent ... people might
want to describe their web pages with XML\RDF,  N3, CycL, KIF, or even
Semenglish.  Why should the W3C release a standard that excludes these other
fine KR languages ?

Aaron, did I interpret your reference to FUD, correctly below?

Seth Russell

language: Semenglish
(RDF in HTML: Approaches)
    seeUrl <http://infomesh.net/2002/rdfinhtml/>;
    by (Sean B. Palmer).
FUD
    seeUrl <http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Hills/9267/fuddef.html>;
    anagramOf (Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt).

Received on Monday, 3 June 2002 13:32:48 UTC