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

> -----Original Message-----
> From: www-tag-request@w3.org 
> [mailto:www-tag-request@w3.org]On Behalf Of
> ext Bullard, Claude L (Len)
> Sent: 14 October, 2004 23:11
> To: 'noah_mendelsohn@us.ibm.com'; Chris Lilley
> Cc: Stuart Williams; www-tag@w3.org
> Subject: RE: [Fwd: RE: "information resource"]
> 
> 
> 
> The dog is continuous (potentially infinite set of 
> states) and a representation is discrete 
> so even if you can name the dog with a resource name, you can't 
> retrieve all possible states of the dog with it.  You can 
> only name the dog.
> 
> Does HTTP range map to infinities?

This question seems to apply also to information resources. The
dog's veterinary record, which I think we all agree constitutes
an information resource, is also continuous, as it reflects the
medical history of the dog, which varies over time.

???

Patrick

 
> len
> 
> 
> From: www-tag-request@w3.org 
> [mailto:www-tag-request@w3.org]On Behalf Of
> noah_mendelsohn@us.ibm.com
> 
> Perhaps it's worth noting that our current editors draft says [1]
> 
> TRUE per Basel Definition:  "The distinguishing 
> characteristic of these
> [information] resources is that 
> all of their essential characteristics can be conveyed in a message."
> 
> but it does NOT say the converse:
> 
> FALSE per Basel Definition: "A non-information resource is 
> distinguished 
> by the fact that none of its state can be conveyed in a message."
> 
> We shouldn't be surprised that there is some 
> machine-representable state 
> for a real live shaggy dog.  We might choose to expose its 
> temperature or 
> its weight, for example.  The distinction drawn in Basel is 
> that dogs are 
> interestingly different from information resources because 
> there exist 
> essential aspects of the dog that are not conveyable in a 
> machine-readable 
> way. 
> 
>

Received on Monday, 18 October 2004 08:12:54 UTC