Re: [xml-dev] The triples datamodel -- was Re: [xml-dev] Semantic Web permathread, iteration n+1

[John Cowan <cowan@ccil.org>]

Henrik Martensson scripsit:

> You will also have to work on maintaining these 50 stylesheets
> continuously, because things will keep changing. And you will have to
> make sure that these 50 stylesheets are also used at the other 49 sites,
> and that the continuosly update with new versions of your stylesheets.

The first point is sound, but the second one isn't.  In a publish/subscribe
world, each of the 50 companies is responsible for getting inputs into a
form they themselves understand.  A good analogy is that of learning
languages: if we have enough clout, we can insist that other people learn
our language so we can talk to them, but in the end it's they who must
learn (or not) to convert our input into what they understand.  That
knowledge is not (directly) exportable.

> Funny you should bring XP up, because XP takes a very rigid approach to
> testing, or validation. Automated tests are written first. Software must
> pass the tests, or the entire development process is stopped until the
> problems have been fixed. Duplicated information (duplicated code, or
> for that matter, different tags that do the same thing) is simply not
> tolerated.

That directly applies only to one's own code and data: it can't possibly
apply to other people's with whom one has no contract.  Imagine how much
money would be lost if Walter's systems shut down every time a malformed
document was fetched!  (In practice, few documents are too malformed to
understand, or he wouldn't make money at all.)  In a world of financial
instruments, the rule is "execute when you get it, back out later if
necessary, make everyone whole".  This won't work if the domain is
surgery, but there's no reason to expect every domain to be the same.

-- 
Not to perambulate                 John Cowan <jcowan@reutershealth.com>    
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