[XML-DEV Mailing List Archive Home] [By Thread] [By Date] [Recent Entries] [Reply To This Message] RE: Namespace name: better to use URN or URL?
Here is an extract from RFC 1738 (Uniform Resource Locators (URL)): ==== A new scheme may be introduced by defining a mapping onto a conforming URL syntax, using a new prefix. URLs for experimental schemes may be used by mutual agreement between parties. Scheme names starting with the characters "x-" are reserved for experimental purposes. The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) will maintain a registry of URL schemes. Any submission of a new URL scheme must include a definition of an algorithm for accessing of resources within that scheme and the syntax for representing such a scheme. URL schemes must have demonstrable utility and operability. One way to provide such a demonstration is via a gateway which provides objects in the new scheme for clients using an existing protocol. If the new scheme does not locate resources that are data objects, the properties of names in the new space must be clearly defined. New schemes should try to follow the same syntactic conventions of existing schemes, where appropriate. It is likewise recommended that, where a protocol allows for retrieval by URL, that the client software have provision for being configured to use specific gateway locators for indirect access through new naming schemes. ==== Like many, I prefer a URL to a URN for namespaces because it is easier to make it unique (and show it is unique). However, I am uncomfortable with using "http://" at the start, so I would definitely be in favour of a scheme using "namespace://" or "xmlns://" or "ns://". What do others here think? Paul Spencer CTO, alphaXML Ltd alphaXML is recruiting XML Consultants +44 (0)1491 630053 http://www.alphaxml.com -----Original Message----- From: Elliotte Rusty Harold [mailto:elharo@m...] Sent: 01 September 2001 14:56 To: xml-dev@l... Subject: RE: Namespace name: better to use URN or URL? What would happen if we were to use URLs with uncommon schemes? e.g. namespace://www.ibiblio.org/xml/baseball/ Would this make new users less likely to assume they could resolve these things while still preventing conflicts? Would this be legal? Is there any official registry for URL schemes or can I just make them up as I choose? Certainly Java made up a lot (jdbc, jndi, doc, netdoc, etc.) and provides an architecture (protocol handlers) for supporting arbitrary schemes. However I'm not sure if that usage is approved by the standards that be. -- +-----------------------+------------------------+-------------------+ | Elliotte Rusty Harold | elharo@m... | Writer/Programmer | +-----------------------+------------------------+-------------------+ | The XML Bible, 2nd Edition (Hungry Minds, 2001) | | http://www.ibiblio.org/xml/books/bible2/ | | http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=0764547607/cafeaulaitA/ | +----------------------------------+---------------------------------+ | Read Cafe au Lait for Java News: http://www.cafeaulait.org/ | | Read Cafe con Leche for XML News: http://www.ibiblio.org/xml/ | +----------------------------------+---------------------------------+ ----------------------------------------------------------------- The xml-dev list is sponsored by XML.org <http://www.xml.org>, an initiative of OASIS <http://www.oasis-open.org> The list archives are at http://lists.xml.org/archives/xml-dev/ To subscribe or unsubscribe from this elist use the subscription manager: <http://lists.xml.org/ob/adm.pl>
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