OASIS Mailing List ArchivesView the OASIS mailing list archive below
or browse/search using MarkMail.

 


Help: OASIS Mailing Lists Help | MarkMail Help

tm-pubsubj message

[Date Prev] | [Thread Prev] | [Thread Next] | [Date Next] -- [Date Index] | [Thread Index] | [Elist Home]


Subject: Re: [tm-pubsubj] Subject Indicator and Subject Indicator Reference(again)


BV
> | What I meant is that if we have to choose something to identify the
> | subject, in a way consistent with the TM notion of what a subject
> | is, by a *character string* - and that is my notion of an identifier
> | - what could it be except this URI, which is really what TM authors,
> | TM engines, and Publishers will all use ...

LMG
> Base name in a particular scope. (*hysterical laughter*)

Agreed ... URI is a kind of name, relevant to a "technical" scope ...
I have no problem with that. A name is nothing but a way to "address" a subject (in a
certain scope).
The URI is the way to address the subject in the network scope. Makes sense ...

LMG
> No, I agree with you that "identifier" seems right. It is what is
> going to be used to identify subjects. On the other hand it has until
> now been seen merely as something that points to the *real*
> identifier, the subject indicator. I never liked that view, but I know
> there are people who do, and who haven't been heard in this debate
> (SRN, in particular).

We have to bring them in this debate.

> I guess there are two point of view here: the human-centric and the
> software-centric. From the human point of view the subject indicator
> is what counts, but from the software point of view it's the URI that
> counts.

This is the difference between *definition* and *identifier*. Definition is what can be
understood by humans (hopefully), identifier is for "automatic" applications (be it
bureaucratic paper files, or computers). Definition is *in* the subject indicator, and
identifier is the URI. What makes all the system fit together (humans and machines) is a
correct matching between identifier and definition.

> On the other hand, what is in the topic map is the URI, so that view
> could be said to hold a certain natural supremacy.

It's not supremacy, just a common ground of agreement. Since computers can't have any
notion of what a definition is - only humans can do that - the only ground of agreement
between humans and machines is to share an identifier.

Bernard




[Date Prev] | [Thread Prev] | [Thread Next] | [Date Next] -- [Date Index] | [Thread Index] | [Elist Home]


Powered by eList eXpress LLC