Re: [topicmaps-comment] TMs & XTM [Was: skills to create topic maps]

[Tony.Coates@reuters.com]

On 03/01/2002 13:38:10 Lars Marius Garshol wrote:

>This I don't follow. Why would you build an inference engine on top of
>a normalized XTM syntax instead of on top of a topic map engine? If
>you have a topic map engine you don't need a normalized syntax. And
>doing it on a topic map engine would be an awful lot easier.

One reason would be if you didn't have to build it.  It wouldn't make sense to build a custom XML inference engine just to work with XTM, but it could make sense to use an XML inference engine that you happen to already have (and understand) with some XTM that you also happen to have at hand.  This is one of the grate realities of life, that we are all "power users" with certain tools, and we all use those tools for certain things that other would horrify some others.  However, what generally counts is whether you get the results you want for the least effort (including learning effort) possible.  Retraining everyone for every new tool is never an option.  So, I would expect a "topic map shop" to want to run queries over XTM, but I would expect a "database shop" familiar with XQuery to want to do so, in the manner that Jonathan Robie has been demonstrating at recent conferences.  Sometimes you need to be able to prove that you tools you have now don't give the right answer, before you
can get approval to get different tools.

In truth, I suspect that Steve Pepper has, on his new mobile phone, a topic map containing his shopping list, probably merged with his opera topic map based on which vegetables appear in which operas.  For my part, I have use a piece of paper and a pen or pencil, but this is only so that I have full interoperability with more modest folk.  What you use depends a lot on what you have at hand, and what you know.

     Cheers,
          Tony.
========
Anthony B. Coates
(1) Information Architect
(2) Leader of XML Architecture & Design
Chief Technology Office
Reuters Plc, London.
Tony.Coates@reuters.com
========




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