[topicmapmail] PSIs?

[Murray Altheim]

Lars Marius Garshol wrote:
> * Murray Altheim
> | 
> | I've also published a draft of a PSI set for XTM datatypes, based
> | on the relatively stable URLs of the W3C XML Schema Datatypes
> | Recommendation:
> | 
> |    http://kmi.open.ac.uk/psi/datatypes.html
> | 
> | There's been precious little discussion or interest in this;
> 
> One way to attract more interest is to list that URI on the page on
> easytopicmaps.com. (It's a wiki, so you can do it yourself.)

Okay, it's now done. I also added another one of my sets -- if you
think it's not appropriate I'll remove it (it's as much a test case
for non-XTM set publication and use as anything...).

> | apparently nobody wants or needs quantification in XTM? 
> 
> I do. In fact, I think so does most of us.

Well, I make that statement based on the fact that the draft was
announced to the topic map community at large via several of its
mailing lists, but nobody has commented.

> The trouble for me is that to make use of these PSIs I have to
> integrate them into OSL and implement support for validation and type
> translation in the OKS OSL validator. It's on the list, but so are
> many other things. I guess that's the case for most people.

Yes, absent a library to do validation we can't actually use the
set for that purpose, but I'm still interested in knowing whether
or not the PSI set itself is "correct" or useful for the purpose
intended, if it needs more documentation, etc.  The PSI set is
necessary (IMO) prior to any implementation so that multiple
implementations can use the same PSI set and hopefully the same
API too. It may be Kal or you or I that works up that API, but
I'd hope the PSIs would remain stable, IF they are okay. I'll
probably be needing a few of them in Ceryle (and would develop
validation features for those few), so I'd be happy to cooperate
on an API. I don't expect it will be easy.

> | Part of the problem is lack of venue, and I'm no longer a member of
> | OASIS.
> 
> You can publish them as an individual, though. Indeed, you have
> already. :)

Well, yes. And the KMi web site will hopefully be stable. If not,
I've got a PURL for everything and my next update to that document
will use the PURL rather than the KMi-based URL (noting that the
current publication is a "first draft").

Murray

......................................................................
Murray Altheim                  <http://kmi.open.ac.uk/people/murray/>
Knowledge Media Institute
The Open University, Milton Keynes, Bucks, MK7 6AA, UK

    Hunt the Boeing! And test your perceptions!
    http://www.asile.org/citoyens/numero13/pentagone/erreurs_en.htm