Re: Announcement: The "info" URI Scheme

Hi all,

I'm usually just an interested observer in this list.  However, in reading 
about the 'info' scheme and the car/document problem, an idea has struck 
which I will float past the group.  Perhaps its already been thought of in 
other contexts and shot down or not, but I'm too lazy to do the research, so 
here it is :-)

The specification of the 'info' scheme could define a standard mapping 
between the 'info' and 'http' schemes.  Whenever the 'info' URI is used it 
is understood to represent the concept.  However, after applying the 
standard mapping the resulting 'http' URI is understood to represent the 
document describing the concept (which may or may not actually be 
resolvable). For example:

   info:namespace/identifier

maps to:

   http://namespace.info.niso.org/identifier

The "info.niso.org" domain is chosen as an example, but there would need to 
be some domain which is controlled by the same organization who is 
responsible for maintaining the 'info' namespaces.  This group is also 
responsible for managing any subdomains and resolvable documents in those 
subdomains which correspond to the various info namespaces.

Presumable the mapping could go both ways if one recognizes that 
info.niso.org (or whatever) is the domain which manages the info namespace.

I'm sure there are lots of ugly details that would need to be worked out, 
but it seems like something like this could work, and potentially solve the 
car/document problem in a fairly simple manner.

Kind regards,
	Tom

-- 
Thomas Habing
Research Programmer, Digital Library Projects
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
155 Grainger Engineering Library Information Center, MC-274
thabing@uiuc.edu, (217) 244-4425
http://dli.grainger.uiuc.edu


Jeremy Carroll wrote:

> 
> While having some sympathy with Patrick here, I note that a new scheme 
> that is URIs not URLs neatly sidesteps the car/document problems.
> 
> An info URI identifies a concept not a document about that concept.
> A similar http URL would be taken as identifying either or both 
> depending on who you talk to.
> 
> 
> Jeremy
> 
> Hammond, Tony (ELSLON) wrote:
> 
>>> Why define and manage the URI space outside the scope of the core Web
>>> and SW machinery?
>>>
>>
>>
>> Hi Patrick:
>>
>> I have to query the question you put above. IMO the "info" URI scheme 
>> fits
>> full square within the core Web and SW machinery as articulated in the
>> latest Web Architecture Draft:
>>
>>     Architecture of the World Wide Web
>>     W3C Working Draft 27 June 2003
>>
>>     http://www.w3.org/TR/webarch/
>>
>> The domain of URI is more extensive than HTTP alone. I would assert 
>> that the
>> actual domain of URI is the Web.
> 
> 
> 
>

Received on Wednesday, 1 October 2003 11:00:37 UTC