From: Peter F. Patel-Schneider ([email protected])
Date: 03/22/01
From: pat hayes <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: new walkthrough
Date: Wed, 21 Mar 2001 14:12:07 -0600
> I have some questions about the walk-through (Im drafting a number of
> changes to the English, but I noticed this on the way:)
>
> 1. The document says
>
> Note that this (imports) tag is an empty element; the same tag starts
> and ends the element, denoted by the trailing "/" just before the
> closing ">".
>
> but in fact there is no / just before the closing > in that tag.
Bug. Change it. (Note: The actual .daml file is OK.)
> 3. The document says:
> --------------------------------------
> <daml:Class rdf:ID="Animal">
>
> This asserts that there is an abstract class known as Animal. It
> doesn't say anything else about animal other than specifying an
> identifier. It is also not
> (necessarily) the sole source of information about Animals; we will
> see below how we can add to a definition made elsewhere.
>
> However, by saying that its ID is Animal, we make it possible for
> others to refer to the definition of Animal we're giving here. (This
> is done using the uri of
> the containing page followed by #Animal.)
>
> <rdfs:label>Animal</rdfs:label>
> <rdfs:comment>
> This class of animals is illustrative of a number of ontological idioms.
> </rdfs:comment>
>
> These two lines introduce a label -- a brief identifier of the
> enclosing element, suitable for graphical representations of RDF,
> etc. -- and a comment -- a natural
> language (English, in this case) description of the element within
> which it is included. Neither a label nor a comment contributes to
> the logical interpretation of
> the language.
> --------------------------------------
> Question: since we have rdf:ID="Animal" in the opening tag, why do we
> need to say that the rdfs:label is also "Animal" ? This seems
> redundant. Which of these two is the one that actually attaches the
> name 'Animal' to the class for purposes of #-subscripting? Or must
> one write both? (If so that is DUMB.) If it is not redundant (for
> some reason connected with the rdf/rdfs distinction which is opaque
> to me) could the rdf:ID and the rdfs:label be different? If so, we
> should actually have them as being different in the example, to make
> the point. If not, we should say something about whatever the
> brain-damaged reason is for having to say the same thing twice.
> Either way it isn't good enough to just say that the label 'makes it
> possible for others to refer', since the rdf:ID does that already.
>
> More later.
I'm not sure what rdfs:label is supposed to be used for. Sure it is in the
rdfs rec, and is supposed to be a ``human readable'' version of a resource
name, but what is that supposed to be? I suggest that we remove rdfs:label
from our examples.
peter
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