namespace usage as assertions

This is probably a really dumb question at this point in the discussion,
but as it relates to the RDF model of assertions being attributable to
individuals, I'd like to get the point nailed down.

To wit:  isn't it the case at the moment that, since the URIs that
identify namespaces may actually point to nothing, the most you can say
about using such an identifier is that it's an assertion (by the user)
that there is a namespace identified by the URI, and that the namespace
contains the specified element name(s)?  

In other words, since there's not necessarily anything "at" the URI that
defines the set of names in the namespace independently of what is
stated in documents that might refer to the URI (documents which might
be created by many different people), there's no way to tell if a given
use is actually correct in asserting that a name is part of a
namespace.  For example, if userA says 

xmlns:x="http://foo"

and then says

<x:Title>

there isn't necessarily a way to independently verify that there really
is such a namespace that includes the name "Title".  All you may be able
to know is that the user has made that assertion.  


-- 
Frank Manola                   The MITRE Corporation
202 Burlington Road, MS A345   Bedford, MA 01730-1420
mailto:fmanola@mitre.org       voice: 781-271-8147   FAX: 781-271-8752

Received on Wednesday, 21 June 2000 10:49:15 UTC