Re: Do resources have representations?

Hi Jon,

Jon Hanna wrote:
> Rather than add to the roles a URI plays like you do, I prefer to pare it
> back, and say that *the only* thing a URI does is identify a resource. The
> fact that it can be dereferenced to retrieve a representation is no
> different to any other identifier (ISBN, Social Security Number, personal
> name etc.) given an application context which understands the identifier and
> can provide a representation.

Couple of interesting points in your mail, but for the moment I'd like 
to cut to the heart of the matter that's giving me headaches and reply 
only to this part of your mail.

Are you saying that "denote a resource" is the *only* thing that a URI 
does?

Then how can it be that two URIs that denote the *same* resource can 
give me *different* representations when I put them into my browser?

I.e., every time I go to <http://example.org/1434> I see one particular 
page, and every time I go to <http://example.net/~foo/bar> I see another 
particular page, yet the two URIs identify the same resource.

How do you explain this?

- Benja

Received on Monday, 28 July 2003 10:25:36 UTC