- From: Kingsley Idehen <kidehen@openlinksw.com>
- Date: Wed, 06 Aug 2008 15:25:50 -0400
- To: "T.V Raman" <raman@google.com>
- CC: dbooth@hp.com, richard@cyganiak.de, seb@serialseb.com, www-tag@w3.org, tthibodeau@openlinksw.com
T.V Raman wrote: > No question that we need to carefully distinguish identity from > representation. My only point was that the resource vs > representation vocabulary clash may now be too late to fix, > partly because both start with 'R', which appears as the middle > letter of the popular acronym > that is written URIand often confused with URL (use right font/ > put on appropriate glasses to equate the twaine which is what the > Web has done;-) > I actually like David Booth's use of the term "variance" in this > context, and if I could rewrite history, I might have perhaps > chosen the term "variance" instead of "representation". > You can revise history :-) Kingley > Kingsley Idehen writes: > > T.V Raman wrote: > > > but we already live in a muddled Web, where this distinction has > > > been all but erased by the various bizarre uses seen on the > > > Web. I personally dont see any value on insisting on the > > > difference any more. > > > > > Raman, > > > > We are absolutely dead in the water if we cannot distinguish identity > > from representation via URIs -) > > > > Web User can't, and/or will not make, the distinction, but they aren't > > the architects of the Web. > > > > We have to fashion architecture dexterous enough for unobtrusive tweaks > > that bubble up to the Web User space. > > > > Linked Data's use of derferencable URIs is a good example of an > > unobtrusive tweak that provides a substrate for Web enhancement without > > changing Web User behavior i.e., Users continue to use the Web in > > bizarre ways without adversely affecting it's essence (a mesh of > > interlnked data that extends beyond information resource containers). > > > > Kingsley > > > Booth, David (HP Software - Boston) writes: > > > > > > > > > From: T.V Raman [mailto:raman@google.com] > > > > > > > > > > I think splitting hairs between resource > > > > > and representation only works "so far". > > > > > > > > The distinction between "representation" and "resource" is not splitting hairs, it is fundamental: they are different *roles* in the architecture. Since anything can be a resource, a particular representation (returned in respnose to a particular request at a particular time) *could* also be considered a resource, but that just means that that particular representation can play both roles. It does not mean that the distinction between the representation and resource is unimportant. > > > > > > > > A representation is what you get *from* a resource -- in particular an information resource -- when you ask for one (such as by HTTP GET). > > > > > > > > I think it's important be careful in the use of these terms, because using them incorrectly tends to cause muddled discussion and confusion. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > David Booth, Ph.D. > > > > HP Software > > > > +1 617 629 8881 office | dbooth@hp.com > > > > http://www.hp.com/go/software > > > > > > > > Statements made herein represent the views of the author and do not necessarily represent the official views of HP unless explicitly so stated. > > > > > > > > > > > > -- > > > > > > Regards, > > > > Kingsley Idehen Weblog: http://www.openlinksw.com/blog/~kidehen > > President & CEO > > OpenLink Software Web: http://www.openlinksw.com > > > > > > > > -- Regards, Kingsley Idehen Weblog: http://www.openlinksw.com/blog/~kidehen President & CEO OpenLink Software Web: http://www.openlinksw.com
Received on Wednesday, 6 August 2008 19:26:28 UTC