Re: The 'resource' identified by a namespace name URI should be the namespace

On Wed, 7 Jun 2000, Tim Berners-Lee wrote:
> Namespaces and mailboxes are both resources. They are distinct.
> Both should be referred to by URI.

...

> > If you want to make rdf assertions about
> > the namespace you need to find a URI that identifies the namespace.
> > The namespace name is not that.
> 
> Sigh.  The namespace identifier is not the namespace name.

Why not just append, in a non-normative section of 
the specification a "suggested" URI structure 
for namespaces... perhaps...

  urn:xmlns:year,tld.domain (.user-specified)*

As for those complaining that this does not allow
for users without domain names to get a namespace
URN; this is not true.  I'm sure any one of the
schema registries would *gladly* provide a CGI
script which (if not, I'll do it if necessary).

  a) asks for a "user-specified" sub-domain

  b) verifies that it is unique, making suggestions
     if it is not unique.

  c) logging successful "names" that have been
     registered so that they are not given out again
     for their particular domain, for that particular
     year.

Example:

   urn:xmlns:2000,com.clarkevans.autoreg.hello

   Where the "hello" name was obtained by the
   autoreg.cgi script at http://clarkevans.com
   (no this does not work... but could easily
    be made to work)

...

Alternatively, this could be added as a NOTE.  The result
would be a URI which clearly identifies the *namespace* 
and does not have any other connotations.

Best,

Clark

Received on Wednesday, 7 June 2000 14:14:26 UTC