Re: [urn] Comments on draft-ietf-urnbis-rfc3187bis-isbn-urn-01

Hello,

Larry Masinter wrote:
>>>    "Each product form (e.g. hardcover, paperback, PDF) MUST have its
>>>     own ISBN."
>>> Why is this a MUST?
> 
>> That's a requirement from ISO 2108.
> 
> I think this is a specification for URNs, and the conformance requirements should apply to the URNs.  What you're saying here is a statement about some OTHER standard, which I might write as:
> 
> "ISO 2108 requires that each product form (hardback, paperback, PDF) have its own ISBN."
> 
> This is just a statement of a fact about another standard, and URNs need to function even in situations that don't exactly follow that requirement, for example, as mentioned, cases where people have digitized a hardcopy book from their own collection, but not assigned a different ISBN.  
> 
> I think you should avoid using normative language for anything other than what a conforming URN and URN processing agent MUST/SHOULD/MAY do in order to reach interoperability between communication agents using URNs in their communication.

As the author of the text, it was not clear to me where to draw the 
line. The current version of RFC3187bis makes it as explicit as possible 
that in the URN:ISBN namespace, every URN must conform to the ISO 2108. 
That is, every namespace specific string must be an ISBN; nothing more, 
nothing less. In addition, I have included some ISBN rules of assignment 
into the draft as MUSTs.

But I have no problem changing the draft so that the normative language 
is only used in the way Larry suggests. Detailed guidance on how to use 
ISBNs in the URN system can be produced separately, for instance in 
co-operation with the ISBN international centre.

Similar changes should be made to 3188bis as well. But there there is no 
external standard to refer to, so IMHO RFC3188bis should provide more 
information than RFC3187bis as regards what MUST/SHOULD/MAY be done.

Best regards,

Juha
> 
> Larry
> --
> http://larry.masinter.net
> 
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-- 

  Juha Hakala
  Senior advisor, standardisation and IT

  The National Library of Finland
  P.O.Box 15 (Unioninkatu 36, room 503), FIN-00014 Helsinki University
  Email juha.hakala@helsinki.fi, tel +358 50 382 7678