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Re: Just say 'mu' to namespace URIs

• To: xml-dev@l...
• Subject: Re: Just say 'mu' to namespace URIs
• From: Norman Walsh <ndw@n...>
• Date: Mon, 05 May 2003 13:54:46 -0400
• In-reply-to: <B885BEDCB3664E4AB1C72F1D85CB29F806484340@R...> ("DareObasanjo"'s message of "Mon, 5 May 2003 10:08:12 -0700")
• References: <B885BEDCB3664E4AB1C72F1D85CB29F806484340@R...>
• User-agent: Gnus/5.090017 (Oort Gnus v0.17) Emacs/21.1 (gnu/linux)

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/ "Dare Obasanjo" <dareo@m...> was heard to say:
| It may be a minority opinion within the echelons of the W3C but I
| somewhat believe the rank and file of XML users would prefer if the
| distinction was clearly made instead of being blended together to
| fuel philosophical and endless permathreads while causing
| significant user confusion.

User confusion is the exact center of the problem, I think.

I have been persuaded that one can technically treat an address just
like a name. I can view the string "http://www.example.com/some/uri"
as a name if I want and use it everywhere that I would be inclined to
use a name.

The problem is that it confuses users because (I assert that many)
users think of strings like that as addresses. They don't think that
they're getting some resource with a funny name, they think they're
going to the www.example.com address and getting a document.

I could, by way of analogy, legally change my name to "Cheyenne
Wyoming" if I wanted to. I could then look forward to customer service
calls like this one:

Agent: You're name please?
Me: Cheyenne Wyoming
Agent: Thank you, could I have your name first, please?
Me: First? I just said "Cheyenne Wyoming"
Agent: I'm sorry sir, I need your name before I can put in your address.
Me: What do you mean my address, I just told you my name.
Agent: I'm sorry, sir, could you repeat it, please.
Me: "Cheyenne Wyoming"
Agent: (pause) Your name is "Cheyenne Wyoming"?
Me: Yes.
Agent: Thank you. And where do you live?
Me: Lawrence Kansas.

I'll leave the rest of the script to more creative humorists than I.

                                        Be seeing you,
                                          norm

- -- 
Norman.Walsh@S...    | Whatever you may be sure of, be sure of this:
XML Standards Architect | that you are dreadfully like other
Web Tech. and Standards | people.--James Russell Lowell
Sun Microsystems, Inc.  | 
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• Follow-Ups:
  • Re: Just say 'mu' to namespace URIs
    • From: Arjun Ray <aray@n...>

• References:
  • RE: Just say 'mu' to namespace URIs
    • From: "Dare Obasanjo" <dareo@m...>

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