RE: Use of metadata in URIs

I read the draft finding with interest. I would agree with the TAG that
the finding should end before 2. Essentially because you made the very
good point that as 'the authority' for the namespace I control, I can do
pretty much what I like (within the rules of standards and specification
- maybe even outside). But to be useful to others, I will have to show
some stability and predictability to others who would like to use my
service otherwise I'll be out of business soon. So this area might be
self-regulating.
Part 2, for me would be more suited for something like 'best practices'.

Cheers
Olivier

-----Original Message-----
From: www-tag-request@w3.org [mailto:www-tag-request@w3.org] On Behalf
Of Williams, Stuart
Sent: lundi, 29. septembre 2003 16:49
To: 'Larry Masinter'
Cc: www-tag@w3.org


<snip>...
</snip>
I was actually trying to explore from two perspectives... that of an
assignment authority (and the infrastructure under their control, eg.
origin
servers - and maybe CDNs); and that of 'observers' of URI assigned
outside
of their own authority. It seems to me that the 'freedoms' to read
something
into a URI are different from each perspective.

> I don't think the web architecture is (or can  be)
> clear about the notion of "authority". It's some terminology 
> that has crept into many of the discussions about URIs and 
> their meaning, and I think it's misplaced.

<snip>...
</snip
..., and I believe a number of others, are under the impression that wrt
to
URI schemes which use DNS host names in the authority field, then the
governing authority for "the remainder of the URI" is the 'owner' (yes
poorly defined ownership relation) of the DNS host name. Ie. the URI
spec.
delegates assignment authority to the scheme spec.; the scheme spec. (in
this case) delegates URI assignment authority to the 'owner' of the DNS
host
name... and in parallel the DNS system delegates 'ownership' of DNS
names
though a registration process root at the top and delegated through
top-level domains and beyond.

This chain of delegation did (does) make sense to me - with the
possiblity
of the delegation chains terminating in a spec. rather than with a
machine
or a person or an organisation (modulo organisations being responsible
for
specs.).
[Olivier says] To me too, I have understood your use of the word
'authority' in exactly that sense.

Received on Monday, 29 September 2003 13:24:15 UTC