# Re: URN Requirements

Mitra (mitra@pandora.sf.ca.us)
Mon, 16 May 1994 22:25:55 GMT

- Messages sorted by: [ date ][ thread ][ subject ][ author ]
- Next message: Terry Allen: "Re multiple URNs for same resource"
- Previous message: Mitra: "Re: Re Revised URN"
- Maybe in reply to: Andrew Pam: "URN Requirements"
- Next in thread: Andrew Pam: "Re: URN Requirements"

    From: mitra@pandora.sf.ca.us (Mitra)

    Subject: Re: URN Requirements

    Date: Mon, 16 May 1994 22:25:55 GMT

    Message-Id: <Cpx2B8.Jv2@pandora.sf.ca.us>

Firstly Xanadu specific references can easily be made globally unique by
selecting a peice of the namespace, and subdividing it up among Xanadu
servers. However I dont think this solves the basic problem.....

The real question is whether something is named with a URL or a URN. A
URN is independant of the retrieval method, so it would only work in
Xanadu if the object has some existance outside of Xanadu, i.e. if a
file was copied to a disk and shipped to someone else would it be
recognisable as the same object.

If Xanadu has (or rather will have :-) such an object then it could be
named with a URN, if not then its really a URL, and that can be handled
by allocating "xanadu:" as a prefix for URLs and whatever additional
syntax the xanadu folks want.

My understanding of Xanadu is that it makes extensive use of quoting of
portions of documents ( a weakness, IMHO of the WWW) this needs handling
by specifying a URN (or URL) and a fragment, standardisation of
fragments was bumped off the agenda of the URI group at the DC IETF, and
I still think we will need to tackle it sometime.

- Mitra

- Next message: Terry Allen: "Re multiple URNs for same resource"
- Previous message: Mitra: "Re: Re Revised URN"
- Maybe in reply to: Andrew Pam: "URN Requirements"
- Next in thread: Andrew Pam: "Re: URN Requirements"