RE: What is at the end of the namespace?

> -----Original Message-----
> From: ext Dan Brickley [mailto:danbri@w3.org]
> Sent: 16 November, 2001 16:10
> To: Stickler Patrick (NRC/Tampere)
> Cc: roconnor@Math.Berkeley.EDU; www-talk@w3.org
> Subject: RE: What is at the end of the namespace?
> 
> 
> On Fri, 16 Nov 2001 Patrick.Stickler@nokia.com wrote:
> 
> >
> >
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: ext roconnor@Math.Berkeley.EDU
> > > [mailto:roconnor@Math.Berkeley.EDU]
> > > Sent: 16 November, 2001 03:26
> > > To: www-talk@w3.org
> > > Subject: Re: What is at the end of the namespace?
> > >
> > >
> > > -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
> > > Hash: SHA1
> > >
> > > > > Yes, URIs *may* denote abstract resources. No, HTTP URLs
> > > may *not*.
> > > >
> > > > Patrick, as an author of both of those specifications, I can
> > > > definitively state that what you are saying does not match
> > > what I intended
> > > > when I wrote the sections to which you have referred.
> > >
> > > I must admit that I always thought that HTTP URIs were 
> some retrivable
> > > resouce, but after looking at the introduction to  RFC 2068:
> > >
> > >    Practical information systems require more functionality
> > > than simple
> > >    retrieval, including search, front-end update, and 
> annotation. HTTP
> > >    allows an open-ended set of methods that indicate the 
> purpose of a
> > >    request.
> > >
> > > It seems that Sean is right.  HTTP URIs seem like they could mean
> > > anything.
> >
> > I don't read it that way at all! I think you are reading your
> > own interpretation into the language, not judging what it
> > actually says.
> >
> > A 'request' means that something should be provided as a response
> > to that 'request'. You can't 'request' an abstract entity. You
> > can only reference it.
> 
> You can request a representation of an abstract entity.
> 
> Dan

But your not saying that the representation of the abstract
entity and the abstract entity are the same. Surely not!

And let's not leave concrete but non-web resources out of 
this. You don't mean that some photo image of you that has
an HTTP URL denotes *you*, do you? Then how do you make
statements about you versus statements about the photo?
You can't.

Sorry, nice try, but (with all due respect ;-) I don't buy it.

Patrick

Received on Friday, 16 November 2001 09:23:03 UTC