Re: [topicmaps-comment] RE: OASIS vs W3C

["Thomas B. Passin" <tpassin@home.com>]

[Sam Hunting]

>
> At a 30,000 foot level, I think the differences are clear -- at least
> in RDF schema, I'm struck by how often it is stated that RDF is for
> machines -- whereas topic maps are for both humans and machines
> ("humans are the ultimate arbiters of subject identity.")
>

I'd say two things about this, Sam.  First, I don't see a real difference
here between TM and RDF - with RDF, perhaps it will be programmers who
decide on subject identity rather than users, I don't know.

Second,  the RDFers don't talk too much about subject identity issues (they
have a different terminology and it does come up a bit).  Many of them seem
a lot more interested in set-theoretic type relationships between
"resources" - class-subclass relationships, rules of logic constraining
meanings and usage, and so on.

But then you get the practical-minded people building things like the
4thought RDF inderencing machinery and James Tauber et all with Redfoot.  A
totally different kind of thing.

Cheers,

Tom P