Re: now://example.org/car (was lack of consensus on httpRange-14)

> Given the lack of constantness, how does a user of a thing know when it
> changes from one form to another?  Presumably we want the software to do
> different behaviour depending upon whether it's concrete or abstract.  And
> the only tool we have is the name.  And changing the name means that
> software and humans will have a chance at knowing to do things 
> differently.

On the contrary, we do not want the software to do anything different.
I don't understand where you picked up that idea.  The purpose of the
representation, if any is available, is to provide information about
the resource (to describe its current state).  There is no implication
whatsoever that the client is going to access that resource, just as
there is no implication today that the xmlns identifier will be accessed
during the processing of XML.  Identification and access are separate.

....Roy

Received on Thursday, 10 October 2002 18:22:55 UTC