It _is_ confusing. My understanding is that these are more or less
interchangeable the same. URL was originally called URL. When they
generalized the idea of a URL a bit, formalized it a bit, AND realized
that (what had been called) URLs were actually really useful as
identifiers _as well as_ for resolvable network locations... they
basically called the new formalization URI.
A URI can be used as an identifier independent of resolution OR as a
resolvable network location OR for both. There are different opinions
about how you're "supposed" to do it, but the fact remains that it can
do all those things. Well, that is, some URI schemas can do both those
things (like 'http'), while others (like "info:" or "urn:") can only be
used as identifiers, they don't have a resolvable network location
function. There are different opinions about whether URI schemas
without resolvable network location functions are a good idea -- some
people think your identifiers should always also have resolvable network
locations (which doens't mean you always need to USE them). I have
mixed feelings on this.
But it is confusing, all of this. People get confused. Personally, I
think it's less confusing to just give up on "URL", consider it more or
less a synonym for URI, or the name of a previous version of a standard
that became URI. Technically, officially, some URI's are URL's are some
aren't -- but this depends only on schema. NO info URI's are also URLs.
ALL http URI's are also URLs. But that does NOT in fact mean that all
http URIs are used for as resolvable network locations -- they are quite
suitable for being used just as identifiers too. So that's technical,
but I don't think it's illuminating, I think it's better off to just
consider "URL" on obsolete term.
Jonathan
Carol Seiler wrote:
Mac's original stated:
It seems strange to me to use an "url" to access local information.
Then Karen replied with:
2. A URI is an identifier; it identifies
I think I'm missing something somewhere - Are you talking about URIs
(Uniform Resource Idenitifer) or URLs (Uniform Resource Locator)?
Perhaps I am missing something or misinterpreting but I thought these
were different...
Carol Seiler, MLS
Continuing Education Librarian
Amigos Library Services
14400 Midway Rd.
Dallas, TX 75244
(800) 843-8482 ext. 2828
(972) 340-2828 (direct)
(972) 991-6061 (fax)
www.amigos.org
sei...@amigos.org
