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URN vs URL

• To: xml-dev@l...
• Subject: URN vs URL
• From: Andy Greener <andy@g...>
• Date: Wed, 30 Jul 2003 18:01:14 +0100

I really don't want to open up the old debate about whether to
use URLs or URNs for XML namespace names, but I am curious about how
to go about doing it properly with a URN, should that route take my
fancy...

I tried "asking the internet", but a search for 'URN + assignment' on
google provides precious little information, aside from references to
the present, lightly populated "registry" and a flurry of papers and
documents dating from 1994-5 (have URNs simply gone out of fashion? :-).

The apparent process for requesting the assignment of a "top level" URN
domain (or 'NID') appears way too heavyweight for most everyday uses, and
delegation to lower level naming authorities seems to be non-existent,
though I did find a reference to the reserved status of two letter NIDs
for "future use as countrycode-based NIDs for eventual national registrations
of URN namespaces". Did this ever happen? Is it ever likely to?

Maybe I'm just looking in the wrong places, so any pointers to resources
would be appreciated.

Given that it appears difficult, if not quite impossible, to obtain a
properly registered URN-based namespace, why shouldn't I just roll my
own, so long as I'm careful? Who's going to challenge urn:uk:co:gid:...,
for instance, and stop me using it?.
-- 

Andy Greener                         Mob: +44 7836 331933
GID Ltd, Reading, UK                 Tel: +44 118 956 1248
andy@g...                       Fax: +44 118 958 9005

• Follow-Ups:
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    • From: "Julian Reschke" <julian.reschke@g...>
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    • From: "Chiusano Joseph" <chiusano_joseph@b...>

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