RE: [topicmaps-comment] topicmaps.org namespace,and ISO 13250 XT M ( Re: referring to a topic from outside a TM )

["Mason, James David (MXM) " <mxm@ornl.gov>]

Bernard has hit on something we need to take care of on both the ISO and
OASIS sides of the house. We need stable sources for texts. The following
addresses the ISO side.

Since the original publication of ISO/IEC 13250, there has been a copy of
the official text at http://www.y12.doe.gov/sgml/sc34/document/0129.pdf
(with the usual caveats that this is done for the benefit of the taxpayers
and is not the master copy available only from ISO, etc.) It's likely to
stay there so long as I'm working here.

The document that was balloted to bring the XTM DTD into 13250 is posted at
http://www.y12.doe.gov/sgml/sc34/document/0220.htm, and the results of that
ballot are at http://www.y12.doe.gov/sgml/sc34/document/0260.htm. The
editors' response the the comments on the ballot are at
http://www.y12.doe.gov/sgml/sc34/document/0270.htm. 

What isn't available is a unified text of the revised standard. It's
possible to construct one from the four cited documents, but there isn't
one. Nor have we asked ISO to publish one; it's not a requirement for the
amendment process, and I don't think we should prepare one until some of the
other issues being discussed in SC34/WG3 settle out. N260 does, however,
call for the editors to prepare a complete final text of the amendment. We
need to get that out to a stable place with an official document number on
it, along with the base standard. (BTW, amendments can be placed out in the
open, without the caveats that surround the text of the base standard.)

Jim Mason
James David Mason, Ph.D.

Y-12 National Security Complex
Bldg. 9113, M.S. 8208
P.O. Box 2009
Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831-8208

+1 865 574 6973

Chairman, ISO/IEC JTC1/SC34
http://www.y12.doe.gov/sgml/sc34/ornlsc34oldhome.htm


> -----Original Message-----
> From:	Bernard Vatant [SMTP:bernard.vatant@mondeca.com]
> Sent:	Tuesday, March 05, 2002 4:30 AM
> To:	topicmaps-comments
> Subject:	[topicmaps-comment] topicmaps.org namespace, and ISO 13250
> XTM ( Re: referring to a topic from outside a TM )
> 
> Thomas
> 
> I'm glad you point at that issue.
> 
> > Secondly, http://www.topicmaps.org/xtm/1.0/ is a valid namespace name -
> > but not a valid DTD location. BTW - is there a well defined, persistent
> > location? (good URIs never change)
> 
> This is an important and still pending problem, linked to historical
> conditions of
> development of XTM 1.0.
> www.topicmaps.org  domain was owned privately by one member of XTM
> Authoring Group (alias
> TopicMaps.Org) until August 2001. At that time TopicMaps.Org decided to
> dissolve into
> OASIS, and the domain name ownership was transferred to OASIS (given,
> sold, I don't really
> figure), and the content has been hosted on OASIS servers since, AFAIK.
> But in fact there
> is so far no authority in OASIS in charge of maintaining or updating the
> content under
> that domain name, until the to-be Topic Maps OASIS Member Section becomes
> a legal entity.
> So everything is stable by lack of maintenance or updating. That means lot
> of stuff under
> that domain is completelely obsolete and misleading. For example whatever
> is at
> http://www.topicmaps.org/about.html is presently completely outdated,
> because since August
> 2001, TopicMaps.Org has no more legal existence !!!
> 
> I keep seeing that as a major issue, because the more visible pages, and
> widely referred
> to, about the TM standard on the web provide obviously obsolete
> information, that nobody
> has the authority (or will?) to update ... I've been pointing at it
> several times since
> that summer, but nothing happens.
> 
> OTOH the specification itself - namely XTM 1.0 DTD - has been adopted in
> December 2001 as
> a part of ISO 13250, and could (should?) in fact now be referred to as
> "ISO 13250 XTM".
> But we have to admit that this is not enough clearly advertised ... and of
> course not
> advertised on topicmaps.org, for the above reasons.
> Publication of ISO standards has a poor visibility on the Web, and finding
> ISO 13250 XTM
> is a challenge indeed.
> If you look at the announce by Jim Mason:
> http://www.oasis-open.org/cover/ISO13250-XTM-20011214.html
> 
> You will not find any reference to *any* URI for neither XTM 1.0 nor ISO
> 13250 XTM.
> 
> So what is visible is obsolete, and what should be the authoritative
> standard address is
> nowhere to be found ...
> 
> Why don't we have a reference document, both approved by ISO JTC1/SC 34
> and OASIS Topic
> Maps TCs - which are so far the only legal entities having succeeded to
> TopicMaps.Org,
> until to-be Member Section becomes a real entity - providing clearly the
> status of topic
> maps standard(s), including publishing legal authority, namespace,
> versioning, and the
> like ???
> 
> Bottom line: the status of www.topicmaps.org is something to be settled
> ASAP, so that the
> pages can be at least updated.
> 
> Bernard
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ----------------------------------------------------------------
> To subscribe or unsubscribe from this elist use the subscription
> manager: <http://lists.oasis-open.org/ob/adm.pl>