Semantic web?

["Jens Jakob Andersen" <f0p@post.dk>]

Hi.

I touched the subject of semantics in a earlier mail.

One of the promises of xml, is that it adds meaning or context  to content.

I think that this maybe should be rephrased as 'adding maybe human readable context to content, but '.

Having worked with SemWeb for a while now, I begin to realize that we need to work hard in placing xml in a proper context, if we shall not all be deemed guilty of eXtreme Marketing Language (XML).

At the Danish Post we're using xml as 'advanced ascii', ie. it is easy to define advanced dataexchange structures.

But our edifact experience tells us, that different people will perceive the field <Amount> quite different.

So that the semantics of a document isn't  captured, just by marking it up in xml.

Which leads me onwards: Has anyone succeeded in using SemWeb technologies, such as e.g ontologies or DAML+OIL in real life projects?

I guess that to lift XML up from 'advanced ascii' to 'content in context', we need not just Xquery, xmlschema, next gen. xslt, but also RDF-S, ontologies etc.

I do hope that the popularity of XML, will help to kickstart some of the more advanced SemWeb technologies.

If we can succeed in doing this, I guess  that we will be granted witj the 'key' to the next level of development.

I noted Mike Kays mail about programmers not being able to let loose of the control flow of their programs. I think that Mike really touched something there, thoug I'm not sure whether it was a political correct statement.

But Mike's right, there has gotta be a new paradigm just around the corner.

With semantic regard 

Jens Jakob Andersen