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> Amelia A Lewis scripsit:
>
> > The namespaces rec specifically states that URI reference identity
> > requires character-by-character identity, and it appears that there has
> > been discussion within the TAG about the potential difficulties of doing
> > anything more complex. There is clearly a great deal of complexity ...
> > but it gets easier and easier to challenge the claim that "this is a URI
> > reference" the further that the namespace string's semantic drifts from
> > the semantic of a URI. A namespace name, in fact, is a thing that has
> > URI syntax. Only. It isn't a URI, or a URI reference, it is a
> > namespace name, which is defined to have URI syntax.
>
> I agree 100%, and I have been pressing for a rewording that says
> "A namespace name is a string that has the syntax of a URI reference."
I also agree 100%, and would love to see this clarification in the namespace
rec. However, I don't think it will eliminate the whole "deref" issue with
namespaces. After all, the current spec uses weasel words (as I and others
heatedly and repeatedly pointed out in the great debate that yielded RDDL) in
trying to avoid the semantic black hole: they say the URI is not meant to be
dereferenced. SO did that stop anyone from assuming, when he saw
"http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Transform"; from trying to go to that address to
see what 'e can see. Telling everyone that these are just "strings" won't
discourage anyone either.
After all, GNOME terminal (and PowerShell) insists on ruthlessly turning any
string it sees that starts with "http://"; or with an "@" in it as a URL, such
that if you try to click to cut and paste the string, it oh so helpfully
spawns a browser for you. Most MUAs are similarly "helpful" with their mail
formatting. The problem is not one of specification, but of expectation.
--
Uche Ogbuji Fourthought, Inc.
http://uche.ogbuji.net http://4Suite.org http://fourthought.com
Track chair, XML/Web Services One Boston: http://www.xmlconference.com/
The many heads of XML modeling - http://adtmag.com/article.asp?id=6393
Will XML live up to its promise? - http://www-106.ibm.com/developerworks/xml/li
brary/x-think11.html
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