Re: [xtm-wg] Topic Naming Constraint question

[Steve Pepper <pepper@ontopia.net>]

At 14:11 22/02/01 +0100, Jan Algermissen wrote:
>That really expresses the basic problem I think: Scoping
>should be used in order to express the extend of validity
>a topic characteristic assignment has. So, how do you scope
>if you want to express that a name is in fact a valid
>characteristic in any context? The problem comes in, if ones
>starts scoping *only* to avoid beeing merged.

Exactly. There is a sense in which scope is being overloaded:
It is both delimiting the limits of validity of a characteristic
assignment *and* (in the case of base names) establishing a
name space for topics.

>This applies to my example also: Amazonas is a valid name
>for Amazon State and it does not feel natural to say it is
>only valid in the context of politics.

You are absolutely right. And this could be one reason for
using a typing topic to scope the name, rather than a topic
which reifies a subject area. It would provide a kind of
hint to the processor that the scoping has been motivated
by the TNC rather than validity delimitation considerations.

>My question:
>
>Does the TNC apply if topics have the same name in the same
>scope but different PSIs ? Did I miss it in the specs ?

The TNC does indeed apply in this case. I put forward a
proposal along the lines you suggest in Paris, but it didn't
carry the day. I guess the campaign against the TNC was a bit
too late getting underway.

>If it does not apply, could your script generate a
><subjectIdentityRef>
>to the specs of XQL and XML-QL ?

Since it does apply, this is not a solution.

It would be interesting to have some of the main proponents
of the TNC comment on this discussion. I wonder if any of
them are tuned in?

Steve

--
Steve Pepper, Chief Technology Officer <pepper@ontopia.net>
Convenor, ISO/IEC JTC1/SC34/WG3  Editor, XTM (XML Topic Maps)
Ontopia AS, Maridalsveien 99B, N-0461 Oslo, Norway.
http://www.ontopia.net/  phone: +47-22805465  GSM: +47-90827246


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