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Re: URIs == the Web was: Re: quarantining namespaces

• To: "Simon St.Laurent" <simonstl@s...>, xml-dev@l...
• Subject: Re: URIs == the Web was: Re: quarantining namespaces
• From: Paul Prescod <paul@p...>
• Date: Mon, 12 Aug 2002 21:47:48 -0400
• References: <r01050300-1015-AEF86659AE3C11D683CE0003937A08C2@[192.168.124.21]>

"Simon St.Laurent" wrote:
> 
> > Simon St.Laurent scripsit:
> > Proxy them, same as we do with news: URLs (which likewise have no
> > locator-nature).
> 
> Two questions:
> 
> 1) There are no proxies for most URNs; can we bar them?

Just ignore other URNs. They are rare today because they are near
useless toda. When/if the semantic web comes about they will become
plentiful in proportion to their usefulness.

> 2) What if anything does this joyful baggage do for namespaces?

Let me suggest the following party line, which I believe to be
understandable to newbies:

 * Namespace names are globally unique identifiers like UUIDs.

 * But they use URI (URL) syntax rather than UUID syntax.

 * Software applications do not typically dereference the URI and do not
care what information is there. You don't have to put anything there if
you do not wish to.

 * The first thing you (as a human) want when you encounter a new
namespace name is documentation. Therefore, by convention the URI points
to human-readable documentation. The use of HTTP URIs (URLs) is *polite*
but not required.

 * Namespace names are HTTP URLs *not* because computers will
dereference them, but because humans will. (at least today)

 * In the future, it may become clear how to put machine-processable
information at a URI (semantic web stuff). Then those URIs will host
both human-readable and machine-readable data. RDDL is an early
experiment in that direction.

 * If you use URNs you will NOT have any easy way to host either
documentation or machine-readable descriptions. So don't do that.

-- 
"When I walk on the floor for the final execution, I'll wear a denim 
suit. I'll walk in there like Willie Nelson, John Wayne, Will Smith 
-- Men in Black -- James Brown. Maybe do a Michael Jackson moonwalk."
Congressman James Traficant.

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