Re: URL: Background and Requirements

	...
   I'm not sure I understand your point about changing the term URL to URI. As
   I understand it, the key difference between a URI and a URL is that a URI
   is just an identifier of a resource, whereas a URL is a URI which actually
   allows the location of the resource to be determined. Perhaps I am not
   understanding this correctly.
	...

This is mostly correct.

If it helps, think of URIs like, for example, a book's ISBN.  A URL
would be a pointer to a bookstore/library for obtaining a copy of the
book.

In theory, everything that we (i.e., the web) are doing with URLs
should reallybe done with URIs.  Unfortunately, URLs were "good
enough" so that URIs never took off as they should have.

Since we are talking about what is required to actually locate
something, URL is the appropriate term here.

Craig

Received on Wednesday, 4 November 1998 11:30:56 UTC