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Re: [urn] [apps-discuss] URNs are not URIs (another look at RFC 3986)

Larry Masinter <masinter@adobe.com> Tue, 15 April 2014 16:25 UTC

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From: Larry Masinter <masinter@adobe.com>
To: Graham Klyne <GK@ninebynine.org>, John C Klensin <john-ietf@jck.com>
Thread-Topic: [apps-discuss] [urn] URNs are not URIs (another look at RFC 3986)
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Date: Tue, 15 Apr 2014 16:25:36 +0000
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Subject: Re: [urn] [apps-discuss] URNs are not URIs (another look at RFC 3986)
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The only thing that makes something a name 'persistsent' is the existance of a name resolution service or method which persists.
The syntax or namespace is irrelevant.  'persistent' isn't binary, it's just "how long". Everything has a life-time.

http://masinter.blogspot.com/2010/03/ozymandias-uri.html

The meaning of a URI depends on the agreement of the community of a way of resolving URIs of that form.
http URIs meant using http/0.9, 1.0, 1.1, and now extended to encompass SPDY and HTTP/2.  

Nominally, a URN is a URI that has some organization/resolution authority/resolution method, where the authority is believed to be persistent, and available in the future to help resolve disputes, should they arise.  

So when A communicates with B and wants to talk about something they both can see (a 'resource') A uses a URI or URN or URL. And B understands what A meant because they both agree on what the UR* refers to. As the time between A sending and B reading and interpreting grows, the more important the persistence of the method by which B will understand  what A meant.

Is it time to revive http://tools.ietf.org/html/draft-masinter-dated-uri and finally get it to RFC?

Larry
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http://larry.masinter.net

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