ISSUE (closed): namespace convention for WebCGM 2.0 XCF

[Lofton Henderson <lofton@rockynet.com>]

Thread (spread over three disjoint threads):
[1] http://lists.oasis-open.org/archives/cgmo-webcgm/200506/msg00006.html
[2] http://lists.oasis-open.org/archives/cgmo-webcgm/200506/msg00072.html
[3] http://lists.oasis-open.org/archives/cgmo-webcgm/200506/msg00081.html

ISSUE:  WebCGM 2.0 must identify a namespace URL for use in XCF instances.

RECOMMENDATION:  In 3 parts:

1.) the URL:  http://www.cgmopen.org/schema/webcgm/ ,
Example:  <webcgm xmlns="http://www.cgmopen.org/schema/webcgm/"; 
version="2.0" ...>

2.) the URL de-references to:
2a.) initially (this week) nothing ("404 not found");
2b.)  soon, to a simple HTML document that says "this is the WebCGM 
namespace URL for XML Companion File (XCF)"
2c.) possibly (tbd), eventually to a proper RDDL document that is #2b, plus 
RDDL markup that might enumerate and point to [any past and] current 
versions, URLs of associated resources (like DTDs or schemas), etc

3.) when OASIS review of their conventions starts (soon), WebCGM TC should 
suggest that /schema/ should be dropped from the namespace URL requirements.

DISCUSSION:

Originally pointed out by Benoit, the topic went on for some time in 3 
successive threads, [1] - [3].  The part #1 of the recommended resolution 
(above) was confirmed by Mary to be acceptable (see last messages of [3]).

The de-reference details of #2a - #2c were also confirmed by Mary to be 
acceptable.  This was after Robin Cover pointed out [4] the RDDL --Resource 
Directory Description Language -- work which Mary had once mentioned, as an 
emerging convention.  So I read it a bit.  Good stuff -- it was motivated 
by the fact that namespace URLs don't need to de-reference to anything, but 
it is a common source of confusion (and "404 not found") related to 
"Namespaces in XML" standard.  Hence ... "let's design something simple for 
namespace URL to resolve to".

[4] http://lists.oasis-open.org/archives/cgmo-webcgm/200506/msg00087.html

You can have simple human readable description, along with machine 
processable (marked up) pointers to resources like standard versions, DTDs, 
schemas, etc.

Note that we are now talking about namespace URL.  The second category of 
URL convention that OASIS is writing is URLs that directly de-reference the 
file that contains the dtd code or schema code or whatever:  webcgm20.dtd 
or webcgm20.xsd.  This is different from RDDL's encapsulation, within an 
otherwise human readable document, of possible *references* to spec 
versions, dtds, schemas, etc.

Hence ... it seems unnecessarily misleading that /schema/ must appear in 
the path name of a namespace URL, hence part #3 of the above RECOMMENDATION.

Thoughts?

Regards,
-Lofton.