WAIS/X.500 Notes (OSI-DS 28 and 29)

[Steve Hardcastle-Kille <[e-mail]>]

OSI-DS-28
osi-ds-28-00.txt
	T. Berners-Lee
	February 1992
	What W3 needs from WAIS and x.500 (OSI-DS 28)
	Abstract:
There has been much discussion about the relative roles of the WAIS
protocol and the x.500 distributed naming scheme in the information
universe. This paper notes a few requirements on such protocols for a
global hypertext/index documentation system.


OSI-DS-29
osi-ds-29-00.txt
	T. Berners-Lee 
	J.F. Groff
	R. Cailliau
	February 1992
	Universal Document Identifiers on the Network
	Abstract:
Many protocols and systems for document search and retrieval are
currently in use, and many more protocols or refinements of existing
protocols are to be expected in a field whose expansion is explosive.
 
These systems are aiming to achieve global search and readership of
documents across differing computing platforms, and despite a
plethora of protocols and data formats.   As protocols evolve,
gateways can allow global access to remain possible. As data formats
evolve, format conversion programs can preserve global access.  There
is one area, however, in which it is impractical to make conversions,
and that is in the names used to identify documents.  This is because
names of documents are passed on in so many ways, from the backs of
envelopes to hypertext documents, and may have a long life.
 
This paper discusses the requirements on a universal naming syntax
which can be used to refer to documents available using existing
protocols, and may be extended with technology.  It makes a
recommendation for a generic syntax, and its specific application to
existing internet protocols.


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