Re: ISSUE 5.6 - daml:imports as magic syntax

From: Jeff Heflin <heflin@cse.lehigh.edu>
Subject: Re: ISSUE 5.6 - daml:imports as magic syntax
Date: Tue, 10 Sep 2002 17:48:44 -0400

> "Peter F. Patel-Schneider" wrote:
> > 
> > From: Jeff Heflin <heflin@cse.lehigh.edu>
> > Subject: Re: ISSUE 5.6 - daml:imports as magic syntax
 
[...]

> > > > Something more is needed.  In particular, a relationship between the
> > > > current graph and its name is needed.  Otherwise how can the condition
> > > > be discharged in the conditional above?
> > >
> > > The relationship can be implmented by using the HTTP GET function to
> > > fetch the contents at the URL and then parsing it based on OWL
> > > semantics. I don't see what the problem is.
> > 
> > Well you now have to incorporate the meaning of the HTTP GET function in
> > the semantics itself.  How are you planning on doing this?  This is the
> > sort of machinery that is hard to specify and easy to pervert.
> 
> Why would you have to incorporate that meaning into the semantics
> itself? It is a simple, computable function. The results of the function
> aren't important to the basic theory, the only matter when determining
> the entailments of a particular document.

Yes, I agree, and I would be happy to have imports be magic syntax, and
treat it the way you seem to want to.

However, a semantic account of the above imports needs a semantic account
of HTTP GET.

peter

Received on Tuesday, 10 September 2002 18:13:10 UTC