RE: [xtm-wg] Re: Portal Markup Language and Topic Map Template

["Graham Moore" <gdm@stepuk.com>]

Hi,

When I read Scott's message I was still contemplating a response focused on
the issues of Portal Markup - I'm still thinking on this one. However, I
have a more immediate contribution to make with regard AF and semantic
interchange. I've attached my paper abstract for Extreme Markup which makes
a proposal as to how Topic Maps can be used for the reliable semantic
interchange of structured information.

The basic premise is that people agree on Topics that represent the 'isness'
of a thing represented by a given schema construct. That Occurrences point
to a schema construct, which due to HyTime addressing can be anything. Thus
the schema type need not be a DTD. Then given an instance of a schema it is
possible to find the schema construct it adheres to and then find the Topic
that 'is' the thing represented by that construct. From the Topic it is
possible to find N other schema constructs that are the 'same thing'.

Given agreed Public Topics and the fact that it is not necessary to map
every schema to every other schema, one simple maps a new schema into the
TM. If all the Topics exist to express the schema then fine, if not then
additional topics can be added. If people dont think a topic is the correct
essense then they can create a new one.

There is obviously a little bit of glue software to write, the up and dowb
transates, i.e. schema instance1 into neutral generic data object
representation and back. But this is written only once for each schema.

I've attached the abstract which contains a little more detail.

*I firmly believe that Topic Maps are the solution to the problem of
reliable, valid and global information interchange*

Cheers,

Graham.

Graham Moore
CTO STEP UK
gdm@stepuk.com

-----Original Message-----
From: sentto-1553146-2-gdm=stepuk.com@returns.onelist.com
[mailto:sentto-1553146-2-gdm=stepuk.com@returns.onelist.com]On Behalf Of
Sam Hunting
Sent: Friday, April 28, 2000 5:57 PM
To: xtm-wg@egroups.com
Subject: Re: [xtm-wg] Re: Portal Markup Language and Topic Map Template


> Since Topic Maps are based on Architectural Forms, I would think the
> same benefits mentioned above would also apply when comparing the
> current form of PML (a DTD) with a Topic Maps based solution.  Also,
> since AF is not necessary the best implementation approach, TM
> template may be a better solution.
>
> I wonder what the TM experts (e.g., Michel & Steve) and AF experts
> (e.g., Eliot & Steven) think about this...

Agreed on benefits.

As far as "template" vs AF: at bottom we have a contractual issue --
two or more parties come to an agreement on the semantics of an
information set.

That is what happens, explicitly or implicitly, during interchange.

If the agreement is explicit, and the syntax of the agreement is stable
and formal, then the contract is (a) much more likely to be executed
without problems, and (b) the responsibility for problems is much more
likely to be clear.

AFs enable explicit agreements using a stable (ISO) formalism. If
"templates" are based on a formalism that is not so stable, than the
agreements based on them are also less likely to be stable.

What I wonder is if there is a way to have the best in both worlds
(stability and implementation), by expressing the templates in RELAX
syntax, since RELAX is to be fast-tracked at ISO, and perhaps can get
around some of the limitations of DTD syntax.

Any thoughts from the experts?

S.

P.S. I also wish to state how useful AFs have been in my own work.

I just got through XML-izing the AECMA 1000D DTDs. Among other things,
I changed the tag names to be English-like ("efy" vs. "effectivity").
The writers and implementors love this, because it takes the initial
sting of learning a new DTD language away.

But because I used AFs, I can always claim, AND PROVE (ie, base a
contract on) that my revised AECMA DTDs are conform architecturally to
AECMA 1000D.



=====
<? "To imagine a language is to imagine a form of life."
    -- Ludwig Wittgenstein, Philosophical Investigations ?>

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