URIs as general-purpose identifiers, and identifiers in general

[Jeff Hodges <jhodges@oblix.com>]

This message..

composition of AssertionID (Issue: DS-4-04: URIs for Assertion IDs)
http://lists.oasis-open.org/archives/security-services/200106/msg00025.html

..provides the references cited in the below discussion.


It's been asserted here in the SSTC that it is a good idea to use URL-style URIs
as identifiers for various things. 

I did a bunch of research, and attended a BOF (Future of URIs (FURI)) at the
last IETF meeting on this topic, and the consensus is that THERE IS NO
CONSENSUS. Except there is consensus that there is a large amount of confusion &
misunderstanding. The FURI BOF minutes will repay a careful read, imho. Oh, and
the FURI BOF was instigated by W3C folk involved in the URI Planning Interest
Group.

The FURI BOF minutes..

  Future of Uniform Resource Identifiers BOF (furi) 
  [50th IETF, Minneapolis MN, Mar-2001]
  http://www.ietf.org/proceedings/01mar/ietf50-39.htm#TopOfPage


A URI, of either URL or URN form, MAY be a resonable identifier for something if
scrutinizing entities have answers available to many of these questions...

      Identifier relationships: 
      *  Is this URI used as a name or locator?
      *  Is this URI globally available or do I need local information
         to use it?
      *  Is there a gateway available that can help me use this URI?
      *  Is this URI persistent?

      Resource relationships: 
      *  Is the Resource identified by this URI an abstract thing or an
         instance of one?
      *  If this Resource is an abstract Resource, can you give me an
         instance?
      *  Is this Resource a collection or part of one?
      *  If this Resource is a member of a collection, what is the URI
         for the collection?