- From: Jim Hendler <jhendler@darpa.mil>
- Date: Fri, 18 May 2001 17:49:05 -0400
- To: Peter Crowther <peter.crowther@networkinference.com>, "'Sergey Melnik'" <melnik@db.stanford.edu>
- Cc: www-rdf-logic@w3.org
At 9:25 AM +0100 5/18/01, Peter Crowther wrote: > > From: Sergey Melnik [mailto:melnik@db.stanford.edu] >[...] >> can anyone criticizing reification suggest a more >> suitable mechanism >> for handling the aforementioned features that makes both >> programmers and logicians happy? > >Ditch RDF and layer a logic directly on XML? Just a thought... the problem >is that it loses a lot of the work currently being put into the Semantic Web >and being described using RDF, unless there's a well-defined migration path. >But it would give much more flexible structures and a far simpler way of >denoting what has formally defined semantics versus what is simply a data >structure. > >The alternative appears to be to accept that RDF will be used as a very, >very verbose encoding of LISP cons cells; and that some part of those >structures might be used to represent something formal, but that a large >part will straight data structure, or be glue that could be encoded and >processed more easily using a richer syntax. > > - Peter > >[insert back view of Peter running down infinitely long corridor towards the >end marked "RDF Logic, Holy Grail, World Peace and Emergency Exit" pursued >by mixed crowd of logicians and RDF enthusiasts waving pitchforks and >torches] I spent a number of years working with my students to develop web ontology langauges (SHOE in particular) - this work predated RDF and much of the current XML standard -- so for all intents and purposes we did exactly the effort of building a KR language for the web that stood on HTML and then XML. It was that experience that made me a prime proponent of building DAML+OIL on top of RDF. I'll say that despite all this discussion, I still think it was the right idea -- here's two pieces of evidence: 1 - the number of RDF tools that offered value to DAML researchers with little or no changes 2 - this mailing list and this exchange -- despite the heat and noise, I think that Semantic Web concepts are becoming clearer as this community that includes AI and Web folks forms - don't think XML would have been as immediate as it was the RDF communtiy thinking most of these semantic issues (modulo XML topic maps, but IMHO they still have a ways to go) Just casting some (DAML+)OIL on troubled waters, if you'll pardon the pun -JH -- Prof. James Hendler Program Manager DARPA/ISO 703-696-2238 (phone) 3701 N. Fairfax Dr. 703-696-2201 (Fax) Arlington, VA 22203 jhendler@darpa.mil
Received on Friday, 18 May 2001 17:48:13 UTC