Re: [xtm-wg] Re: The Future of TopicMaps.Org

[Murray Altheim <altheim@eng.sun.com>]

scott.tsao@boeing.com wrote:
> 
> --- In xtm-wg@y..., Murray Altheim <altheim@e...> wrote:
> > The members of TopicMaps.Org are quite aware of the W3C Semantic Web
> > activity and are endeavouring to coordinate with various activities
> > as they arise [...]
> 
> The RDF Core Working Group Charter
> (http://www.w3.org/2001/sw/RDFCoreWGCharter) states:
> 
> ====================================================================
> 3. Relationships and Dependencies
> 
> Coordination with other groups will be managed through the Semantic
> Web Coordination Group.
> 
> The Topic Maps community have produced an XML-based Topic Map
> serialization syntax (XTM), and the W3C XML Protocol Working Group is
> already chartered to produce a similar mechanism. The XML Protocol
> Working Group Charter lists as a goal the creation of a "mechanism
> for serializing data representing non-syntactic data models such as
> object graphs and directed labeled graphs, based on the datatypes of
> XML Schema". The RDF Core WG will need to liaise with the XML
> Protocol Working Group and XTM communities to ensure that the RDF
> Core specifications are produced with consideration for possible
> future work on alternate RDF syntaxes.
> ====================================================================
> 
> Since the W3C XML Protocol Working Group is chartered to "produce a
> similar mechanism" like XTM, couldn't XTM be submitted as a Note to
> the W3C for XML Protocol Working Group?  How aware are you with the
> XMLP WG activities?

I work for a company that is a W3C member and I read almost all of
the W3C messages as well as our internal conversations. I am aware 
of this charter, though I have a tough time with them simply taking
the concept and ignoring us. Since many or most of the TopicMaps.Org
members are not W3C members, we immediately exclude a substantial
part of our own community. That's unacceptable. I'm also don't agree
that the protocol working group is really the right place for this
kind of activity. XTM is not a protocol but a knowledge representation
technology. I don't think the kind of expertise that would be drawn
into a protocol group would match that needed. The Semantic Web
group includes people we've already begun relationships with, and
this seems a much more appropriate location for this work.

So I take this part of the charter as a liaison activity with those
of us who've been developing this technology, and we're endeavouring
to move further work into OASIS where we would have a more formal
organizational structure from which to perform that liaison.

As for submitting XTM as a W3C Note, this has already occurred. We
have some legal barriers to its publication (to my understanding),
which would be resolved were we to be in OASIS. 

In a nutshell, we've done our homework and are active in the process
of coordinating with the W3C as much as is possible.
 
Murray

...........................................................................
Murray Altheim                            <mailto:altheim&#x40;eng.sun.com>
XML Technology Center
Sun Microsystems, Inc., MS MPK17-102, 1601 Willow Rd., Menlo Park, CA 94025

      In the evening
      The rice leaves in the garden
      Rustle in the autumn wind
      That blows through my reed hut.  -- Minamoto no Tsunenobu

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