RE: [chairs] Unique OASIS document identifiers

[jkeane <jik@jkeane.com>]

Let's separate the issues and find resolution. None of these issues rise to
the level of absolutes but preferences, each with its trade-offs.

FILENAMES

We are talking about filenames not URI's. Assuming these are equivalent, we
also need to recognize variations in culture and preferences.

The LegalXML community went back and forth on the use of camelCase and
UpperCamelCase. Its integrated justice TC (IntJustice) has developed an
elaborate data dictionary for which it has built consensus among agencies
across all 50 states and the Federal government. The dictionary happens to
use UpperCamel case in several thousand XML tags.

Some TC names use case variations. ebXML is in camelCase. The LegalXML
Member Section name is in UpperCamel case and several of its subgroups use
UpperCamel case for their TC names too. Under the draft naming conventions,
they will embed their group name in file names. If a group wants to use its
distinctive name and spelling in its workproduct, I just don't see why our
conventions have to govern this level of detail.

I don't recall that we went this far in our discussion. The present
recommendation is simply to remove the sentence altogether. Silence can be a
good way to achieve consensus or reflect that we never achieved it.

UNDERBARS
The discussion was not about spaces in file names, but about underbars.  A
number of people responded that underbars were a problem because they can
get lost in underlining. e.g. "under_bar" The two proponents dropped the
proposal in the face of some good points by a number of people who took the
time to respond with their concerns.

The final draft of the document took a position that underbars were
allowable. This is was not really consonant with the discussion. My
recommendation was to simply drop the sentence. Why explicitly say something
is allowable?

cs vs TCspec

No has proposed TC spec (with spaces). The question was whether "cs" was
cryptic. Some one  proposed "TCspec."  That seemed like a reasonable and
short compromise with some embedded meaning.

Although IMHO "cs" is an unduly cryptic acronym, I can live with "cs" (for
which Eve makes a good point that we reached consensus on that point.)

CLOSURE

We need to wind this this down. So, how about?

1) silence on lowercase  (recognizing there is not consensus)
2) silence on underbars being allowable (recognizing there was explicit
consensus about not using them)
3) keep "cs"

If these proposals need further discussion, let's stay on track, not expand
the discussion but narrow it, and look for solutions in the spirit of
accommodation and consensus.

Best regards,

Jim Keane

-----Original Message-----
From: Norman Walsh [mailto:ndw@nwalsh.com]
Sent: Tuesday, March 11, 2003 5:59 PM
To: jkeane
Cc: 'Chairs (E-mail)'
Subject: Re: [chairs] Unique OASIS document identifiers

/ jkeane <jik@jkeane.com> was heard to say:
| The term "spec" conveys meaning. "cs" has at least 146 meanings as an
| acronym, but not 'committee spec". (See below)

I'm with Lauren, people will learn what it means. Shorter is better.


| Does everyone agree with just deleting the reference to all lower case and
| the deleting the reference to "underscores."

Absolutely not! I am strongly opposed to mixed case in identifiers. It
offers absolutely no benefit in terms of information content and gives
users one more thing to get confused about. While it's true that case
isn't significant in domain names, it is most certainly significant in
URIs and that makes

  http://www.example.org/someuri

different from

  http://www.example.org/someUri

which is further different from

  http://www.example.org/someURI

which means that users will get it wrong at least two times out of
three. Then we'll need redirects to handle the common cases and the
whole thing gets messy.

"All lowercase" is a simple rule that everyone can learn and
understand. MixedCase is a cUlTuRaL issue that HaS no RulEs.



| If so, we are very close to a wrap.  In LegalXML we have closed
discussions
| by asking: "Can anyone not live with this?"

I can not live with mixed case.

| Can any one not live with "TC Spec" and deleting the references to all
lower

I can't live with any scheme that proposes spaces in the URI either.
At the very least, you must have meant "TC%20Spec" which is really
ugly.

                                        Be seeing you,
                                          norm

- --
Norman.Walsh@Sun.COM    | The man with ten children is better off than
XML Standards Architect | the one with ten thousand fonts of type,
Web Tech. and Standards | because the man with ten children doesn't
Sun Microsystems, Inc.  | want any more.
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