Re: [xml-dev] RDDL is bad, replace it with my RDF

[Jim Melton <jim.melton@oracle.com>]

I agree with both Ken and Len.  In my mind, the most important reason 
for placing a resource -- any resource -- at the URL of the URI that 
is a namespace name is to provide human beings with information about 
the namespace (including possibly what things are contained in that 
namespace).  Of course, it may be in some cases that a namespace has 
an XML Schema associated with it, in which case a machine- (and 
human-) readable Schema document might be a reasonable thing to use 
as such a resource.  But not all namespaces have associated XML 
Schemas, nor is there any reason to require that there be one.

But it is often helpful to humans writing code that references names 
in a given namespace to have some resource that describes the 
purpose, contents, theories, etc. associated with the namespace.  And 
an XHTML document is a natural vehicle for that use.  As Ken said, 
the use of XHTML+RDDL makes that document useful to humans and to 
machines, coming pretty close to an ideal solution.  Incidentally, 
when I create such XHTML+RDDL namespace documents, I additional 
transform the RDDL into RDF and make both available at the same URL 
(except for different filename extensions).

Hope this helps,
    Jim

P.S., I also agree that you have the right to place whatever resource 
you think appropriate at the URL of the URI of any namespace you are 
defining.  Your target audience may well be different from mine.


At 6/26/2012 01:00 PM, Victor Porton wrote:
>I think to place an XHTML code (so called RDDL) at a namespace URL 
>was a really bad idea. This URL is intended for computers not 
>people, whilst XHTML is intended for people not computers.
>
>Even if someone will oppose me, I will insist lobbying placing RDF 
>code at NS URLs. I will provide a link from my RDF into an RDDL however.
>
>I remind the readers of this message, that I am developing RDF 
>describing namespaces, the main feature of this is description of 
>transformations between namespaces.
>
>You can read the current draft as a Word 97 file:
>
>http://freesoft.portonvictor.org/binaries/Namespace_Semantic.doc
>
>I started this writing about XML a few months ago, but haven't been 
>working on it for a while. Note that I also work in abstract 
>mathematics and in Hebrew Bible study. I am going (but don't 
>promise) that this month I will work mainly on XML.
>
>--
>Victor Porton - http://portonvictor.org

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Jim Melton --- Editor of ISO/IEC 9075-* (SQL)     Phone: +1.801.942.0144
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