Re: [tm-pubsubj-comment] Good PSIs never die

[Lars Marius Garshol <larsga@garshol.priv.no>]

* Bernard Vatant
| 
| I think that thread relevant to PubSubj should be continued on
| tm-pubsubj-comments list.

Maybe. (That means limiting the discussion somewhat.) It certainly
should be on one list rather than two.
 
* Tom Passin.
|
| Yes, I just wonder if machines may get more in the picture in the future.
 
* Bernard Vatant
|
| That's a good question. Definitely, we must consider they should. 

Yes. Yes, yes, yes. Yes. Absolutely.

| In fact, if we define a set of required metadata, and
| recommendations for PSIs structure and syntax, it's clearly with the
| intention - in the corner of my mind at least - that processing of
| PSIs could go further than comparing the URI identifier for sake of
| identification and merging, e.g.  search engines could spider those
| standardized metadata and retrieve PSIs for a given domain, subject,
| and/or publishing authority.

I suppose it could. We might build functionality like this into the
Omnigator, for example, so that you could find metadata about PSI sets
used in a particular topic map by clicking on a button, for example.

BTW, I think you should capture this as a requirement. We need to
remember this, because people (well, I) are going to propose things
that will break this.
 
* Tom Passin
|
| It may be too legalistic a thought on my part.  If a PSI __must__
| point to a retrievable resource, and suddenly it no longer is
| retrievable, strictly speaking the thing can't be a PSI any more.
| What then should happen to all those places it has been referenced?
 
* Bernard Vatant
|
| Has a dead person still an identity? I think yes, sort of, although
| you can't meet her anymore ...
| A PSI having lost its retrievable resource is like that dead
| person. The identity still means something for those who have known
| her and remember. For those who have not it's too late to meet her
| ... but they can agree on her identity anyway, and sort of know her
| through whatever those who have known say about her.

I think this is a very good analogy. 
 
| If a PSI has been used in hundreds of places, you can somehow figure
| what it means looking at how it's been used, even if the original
| indicator is not there any more. The meaning of a PSI builds up by
| agreement of people to use it. Remember you still agree on what "Big
| Oak Cross" means, and are able to have a rendez-vous there,
| centuries after Big Oak has been cut down ...

Like Ludgate in London. People know where it is a millennium and more
after they forgot who Lud was.

-- 
Lars Marius Garshol, Ontopian         <URL: http://www.ontopia.net >
ISO SC34/WG3, OASIS GeoLang TC        <URL: http://www.garshol.priv.no >