Re: What would break, a question for implementors? (was Re: Is 303 really necessary?)

[Kingsley Idehen]

On 11/9/10 6:57 AM, Ian Davis wrote:
On Tue, Nov 9, 2010 at 11:23 AM, Nathan<nat...@webr3.org>  wrote:
Pete Johnston wrote:
"This document mentions the following class"
It's all very simple really, when you remove all the conflated terms.
I am not conflating terms and nor is my example, but I think you are (see below)
What is this:

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<rdf:RDF xmlns:rdf="http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns#";
  xmlns:foaf="http://xmlns.com/foaf/0.1/";
  xmlns:rdfs="http://www.w3.org/2000/01/rdf-schema#";
  xmlns:wdrs="http://www.w3.org/2007/05/powder-s#";
  xmlns:dbp="http://dbpedia.org/resource/";
  >

  <dbp:Toucan rdf:about="http://iandavis.com/2010/303/toucan";>
    <rdfs:label>A Toucan</rdfs:label>
    <foaf:depiction
rdf:resource="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6d/Pteroglossus-torquatus-001.jpg/250px-Pteroglossus-torquatus-001.jpg";
/>
    <rdfs:comment>This resource is an individual toucan that happens to live
in southern mexico.</rdfs:comment>
    <wdrs:describedby
rdf:resource="http://iandavis.com/2010/303/toucan.rdf"/>
  </dbp:Toucan>

  <foaf:Document rdf:about="http://iandavis.com/2010/303/toucan.rdf";>
    <rdfs:label>A Description of a Toucan</rdfs:label>
    <rdfs:comment>This document is a description of the toucan
resource.</rdfs:comment>
  </foaf:Document>

</rdf:RDF>

<http://iandavis.com/2010/303/toucan>  is simply another name for whatever
the above is.
Nope. It's not at all. That text you include is the entity sent when
you issue a GET to the URI. Entity bodies aren't usually named on the
web. It's also a representation of
http://iandavis.com/2010/303/toucan.rdf

You are conflating the resource with the content of an HTTP message
sent to your computer.

You could interpret the tabulator property as meaning "the entity
returned when you perform a GET on the URI contains the following
class"


Hints:
  - it's not a resource
It has a URI http://iandavis.com/2010/303/toucan.rdf, anything
identified by a URI is a resource.

Yes, in "Resource Conflation" lingo.

No, in reality.

A URI is an Identifier. Remember it stands for: Uniform Resource 
Identifier. It should actually be: Universal Object Identifier or 
Universal Entity Identifier or Uniform Object Identifier or Uniform 
Entity Identifier.

URIs Identify "Entities" or "Things". They can identify anything we can 
imagine.

A Resource is a kind of "Thing" that has physical manifestation in a 
specific realm. Yes, we are "Resources", "Documents", "Widgets", but not 
in the Web Realm.

You are conflating because Web != Real World. Thus, saying everything is 
a "Resource", when the rest of the world knows that everything is an 
"Entity" or "Thing" or "Object" is conflation that leads to utter 
incomprehension.

How do you think Object based systems work? How do you think Object 
Oriented Database work? How do you think Object Relational Databases 
work? How do you think Relational Databases work?  How do computers 
work? Is an Address the only way we use a Pointer? Do you seriously 
think that the ubiquity of an HTTP network, where physical resources 
represent Documents (e.g. HTML, RDF, XML etc..), warrants such overreach 
and disregard for the past re. computer technology continuum?

"Resource" conflation days are numbered. Its usage and acceptence is 
inherently inversely related to Linked Data concept comprehension.

Remember my statement above. Same applies to RDF = Linked Data, conflation.


  - it's not a document
I think it is

It cannot be!

It resolves to a Document.

Without Documents how can one perceive anything across any medium?
  - it's not an rdf document
I think it is

It resolves to a Document Type where the Content is expressed in on of 
the RDF markup syntaxes.


  - it's not a toucan
Agree. That text is not a toucan.


Yes, but for a different reason. The Toucan is the Referent of the URI. 
This is how its always been, if it wasn't you wouldn't be reading this 
mail via a computer system that uses pointers to create references that 
enables us walk data structures, programmatically.


Kingsley

Best,

Nathan

Ian




--

Regards,

Kingsley Idehen 
President&  CEO
OpenLink Software
Web: http://www.openlinksw.com
Weblog: http://www.openlinksw.com/blog/~kidehen
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