RE: resource and representation

> > Web applications do not have access to the actual resource, no, but
> > a representation of the resource is analogous to getting the actual
> > resource. For that to happen, the resource has to be digitally
> > encoded in some fashion.
> 
> We have had this discussion far too many times.  Web applications may
> or may not have access to the actual resource, depending on the
properties

Maybe that is because the discussion has veered off-topic.  There is no
question that HTTP returns a representation of a resource.  However,
that does not mean that URIs using the http: scheme should be used for
things other than web pages.  HTTP is just one protocol, with semantics
that are useful for a finite set of circumstances.  URIs in practice
utilize many schemes besides just http:.  Saying that all resources can
or should be identified with http: URIs is completely insane.