Re: A few lessons I have learned (June, '03)

Actually, the principle seems simply to be whether you are in a position 
to force everyone to play to the same tune, period.  Open or closed 
system may be a factor in determining whether you're in that position or 
not, but it's not the only factor, and may play no role at all.  For 
example, the US Internal Revenue Service is in a position to insist that 
US taxpayers use whatever forms the IRS tells us to.  They do provide 
for both paper and Internet submissions, so there's some flexibility, 
but what I'm waiting for is an official IRS tax ontology (reinforced by 
IRS-specified rules providing the official definitions of all the 
calculations), and tax returns described by RDF/OWL triples using terms 
and calculations from that ontology.  Want to start a pool on when we'll 
be able to do that (for real)?

--Frank


Roger L. Costello wrote:

> Mike Daconta wrote:
> 
> 
>>I strongly disagree with this principle as it reduces the ability to 
>>robustly validate documents.  The principle you are expressing is 
>>useful when the instance documents are subject to change.  That is
>>not the case for all instance documents in all vertical domains.
>>Thus the principle is only valid on one side of the change spectrum
>>and cannot be considered a universal principle.  
>>
> 
> In a closed sytem you may be able to force everyone to play to the same
> tune.  Expanding/changing the tune wreaks havoc on everyone.  In an open
> system such as the WWW it's unreasonable to expect everyone to
> harmonize.  Expect disharmony. /Roger
> 
> 


-- 
Frank Manola                   The MITRE Corporation
202 Burlington Road, MS A345   Bedford, MA 01730-1420
mailto:fmanola@mitre.org       voice: 781-271-8147   FAX: 781-271-875

Received on Friday, 6 June 2003 17:50:26 UTC