All,
Edited, as I just realized some critical typo+errors that affect context.
Hopefully, you understand what Nathan is articulating (ditto Giovanni).
If not, simply step back and as yourself a basic question: What is
Linked Data About?
Is it about markup? Is it about Data Access? Is it about a never ending
cycle of subjective commentary and cognitive dissonance that serves to
alienate and fragment a community that desperately needs clarity and
cohesion.
Experience and history reveal the following to me:
1. Standards based data access is about to be inflected in a major way
2. The EAV (Entity-Attribute-Value) graph model is the new focal point
of Data Access (covering CRUD operations).
Microsoft, Google, and Apple grok the reality above in a myriad of ways
via somewhat proprietary offerings (this community should really learn
to look closer via objective context lenses). Note, "proprietary" is
going to mean less and less since their initiatives are HTTP based i.e.,
it's all about hypermedia resources bearing EAV model data
representations -- with varying degrees of fidelity.
**
Players and EAV approaches:
1. Microsoft -- OData (EAV with Atom+Feed extension based data
representation)
2. Google -- GData (EAV with Atom+Feed based data representation)
3. RDF based Linked Data -- (RDF variant of EAV plus a plethora of data
representation formats that are pegged to RDF moniker)
4. Apple -- Core Data (the oldest of the lot from a very proprietary
company, this is basically an EAV store that serves all Mac OS X apps,
built using SQLite; until recently you couldn't extend its backend
storage engine aspect) .
**
Reality re. Business of Linked Data:
"Data as a Service" (DaaS) is the first step i.e., entity oriented
structured data substrate based on the EAV model. In a nutshell, when
you have structured data place, data meshing replaces data mashing.
Monikers aside, entrepreneurs, CTOs, and CIOs already grok this reality
in their own realm specific ways.
Microsoft in particular, already groks data access (they developed their
chops eons ago via ODBC). In recent times, they've groked EAV model as
mechanism for concrete Conceptual Model Level data access, and they are
going unleash an avalanche of polished EAV based applications courtesy
of their vast developer network. Of course, Google and Apple will follow
suit, naturally.
The LOD Community and broader Semantic Web Problem (IMHO):
History is a very good and kind teacher, make it an integral part of
what you do and the path forward becomes less error prone; a message
that hasn't penetrated deep enough within this community, in my personal
experience.
**
Today, I see a community rife with cognitive dissonance and desires to
define a non existent "absolute truth" with regards to what constitutes
an "Application" or "Killer Application". Ironically, has there EVER
been a point in history where the phrase: Killer Application, wasn't
retrospective? Are we going to miraculously change this, now?
**
Has there ever been a segment in the market place (post emergence of
Client-Server partitioning) where if you didn't make both the Client and
the Server, the conclusion was: we have nothing?
We can continue postulating about what constitutes an application, but
be rest assured, Microsoft, Google, Apple (in that order), are priming
up for precise execution with regards to opportunities in the emerging
EAV based Linked Data realm. They have:
1. Polished Clients
2. Vast User Networks
3. Vast Integrator Networks
4. Vast Developer Networks
5. Bottom-less cash troves
6. Very smart people.
In my experience, combining the above has never resulted in failure,
even if the deliverable contains little bits of impurity.
Invest a little more time in understanding the history of our industry
instead of trying to reinvent it wholesale. As Colin Powell articulated
re. the IRAQ war: If You Break The Pot, You Own It!
Folks, we are just part of an innovation continuum, nothing is new under
the sun bar, context !!
--
Regards,
Kingsley Idehen
President & CEO
OpenLink Software
Web: http://www.openlinksw.com
Weblog: http://www.openlinksw.com/blog/~kidehen
Twitter/Identi.ca: kidehen
