On Mar 27, 2012, at 6:59 AM, Danny Ayers wrote: > This seems an appropriate place for me to drop in my 2 cents. > > I like the 303 trick. People that care about this stuff can use it > (and appear to be doing so), but it doesn't really matter too much > that people that don't care don't use it. It seems analogous to the > question of HTML validity. Best practices suggest creating valid > markup, but if it isn't perfect, it's not a big deal, most UAs will be > able to make sense of it. There will be reduced fidelity of > communication, sure, but there will be imperfections in the system > whatever, so any trust/provenance chain will have to consider such > issues anyway. > So I don't really think Jeni's proposal is necessary, but don't feel > particularly strongly one way or the other. > > Philosophically I reckon the flexibility of what a representation of a > resource can be means that the notion of an IR isn't really needed. > I've said this before in another thread somewhere, but if the network > supported the media type "thing/dog" then it would be possible to GET > http://example.org/Basil with full fidelity. Right now it doesn't, but > I'd argue that what you could get with media type "image/png" would > still be a valid, if seriously incomplete representation of my dog. In > other words, a description of a thing shares characteristics with the > thing itself, and that's near enough for HTTP representation purposes.
It might be for HTTP, but not for RDF (and up) representational purposes. And as this entire brouhaha only arose when people started worrying about semantics at the RDF level (and up), this is not a particularly helpful remark. The basic mistake you (and others) are making is to conflate reference with similarity. A description of a thing shares NO characteristics with the thing it describes. Describing is not being-somewhat-similar-to. For an early (1726) but still insightful explanation of what is wrong with this idea, see http://4umi.com/swift/gulliver/laputa/5 : "We next went to the School of Languages, where three Professors sate in Consultation upon improving that of their own country. The first Project was to shorten Discourse by cutting Polysyllables into one, and leaving out Verbs and Participles, because in reality all things imaginable are but Nouns. The other, was a Scheme for entirely abolishing all Words whatsoever; and this was urged as a great Advantage in Point of Health as well as Brevity. For it is plain, that every Word we speak is in some Degree a Diminution of our Lungs by Corrosion, and consequently contributes to the shortning of our Lives. An Expedient was therefore offered, that since Words are only Names for Things, it would be more convenient for all Men to carry about them, such Things as were necessary to express the particular Business they are to discourse on. And this Invention would certainly have taken Place, to the great Ease as well as Health of the Subject, if the Women in conjunction with the Vulgar and Illiterate had not threatned to raise a Rebellion, unless they might be allowed the Liberty to speak with their Tongues, after the manner of their Ancestors; such constant irreconcilable Enemies to Science are the common People. However, many of the most Learned and Wise adhere to the New Scheme of expressing themselves by Things, which hath only this Inconvenience attending it, that if a Man's Business be very great, and of various kinds, he must be obliged in Proportion to carry a greater bundle of Things upon his Back, unless he can afford one or two strong Servants to attend him. I have often beheld two of those Sages almost sinking under the Weight of their Packs, like Pedlars among us; who, when they met in the Streets, would lay down their Loads, open their Sacks, and hold Conversation for an Hour together; then put up their Implements, help each other to resume their Burthens, and take their Leave. But for short Conversations a Man may carry Implements in his Pockets and under his Arms, enough to supply him, and in his House he cannot be at a loss: Therefore the Room where Company meet who practise this Art, is full of all Things ready at Hand, requisite to furnish Matter for this kind of artificial Converse. Another great Advantage proposed by this Invention, was that it would serve as a Universal Language to be understood in all civilized Nations, whose Goods and Utensils are generally of the same kind, or nearly resembling, so that their Uses might easily be comprehended. And thus Embassadors would be qualified to treat with foreign Princes or Ministers of State to whose Tongues they were utter Strangers." Pat > > Cheers, > Danny. > > -- > http://dannyayers.com > > http://webbeep.it - text to tones and back again > > ------------------------------------------------------------ IHMC (850)434 8903 or (650)494 3973 40 South Alcaniz St. (850)202 4416 office Pensacola (850)202 4440 fax FL 32502 (850)291 0667 mobile phayesAT-SIGNihmc.us http://www.ihmc.us/users/phayes
