Re: [Fwd: RE: "information resource"]

On Thursday, October 14, 2004, 6:59:14 PM, Stuart wrote:


SW> Chris Lilley wrote:
>>Currently, we have the notion of something whose entire essence is
>>digitally conveyable (eg a particular edition of an etext) and something
>>which clearly has information, but whose essence can only be measured or
>>approximated without conveying its entirety (a dog, a book in the
>>abstract without mentioning edition or translation).
>>  
>>
SW> How is that different from saying that the nature of the resource is
SW> information?

Something whose nature is not, exclusively or even mainly, information
can have information associated with it. A body of information, even.
Its a vague and all inclusive term so I don't like it.

SW> I'm confused by your reference to a dog here...I think by our Basel defn
SW> a dog is *not* an (Basel defn) "Information Resource".

Correct. I would like it to remain so.

>>To take an example, a resource for my fictional dog might return as a
>>representation its veterinary records (blood test results and so on) -
>>clearly a body of information, and clearly not conveying the entire
>>essence of the dog.
>>  
>>
SW> A "resource for my fictional dog"... are we speaking of one or two 
SW> resources here?

One.

SW> Are you arguing that the dog is or is not an IR?

I'm arguing that the dog resource would in Patrick's definition be an IR
because it has a body of information (its medical records) but should
not be an IR (per Basel def.).

>>However, if the resource were described as 'vet records for fido' then
>>that would be conveying the complete essence.
>>  
>>
SW> Yes... the vetinary records are an IR. They are information, they are a
SW> body of information, and as you say "their complete essense can be 
SW> conveyed in a message."

Yup, agreed.

-- 
 Chris Lilley                    mailto:chris@w3.org
 Chair, W3C SVG Working Group
 Member, W3C Technical Architecture Group

Received on Thursday, 14 October 2004 18:11:15 UTC