[topicmapmail] A blog entry...

[Are Gulbrandsen]

Jan Algermissen wrote:
> http://www.rtodd.com/blog/archives/2005/08/the_trouble_wit.htm
>
> Hmm....
>
> True/False?

I think his arguments misses the point, and have made the following=20
comments in the blog:

I think there are two main problems with the arguments here:

1. Comparing different levels of abstraction
2. Mixing =91end user=92 with 'developer'

Designing a Topic Map is comparable to designing a database or=20
ontology. Comparing it to making an html web page or using google is=20
missing the point completely.

As a matter of fact Topic Maps is one of the metamodels included in the=20=

OMG 'Ontology Definition Metamodel' RFP:
http://www.omg.org/ontology/ontology_info.htm

 >> We have got to get better and communicating technology to the =
masses.

Considering that "a five year old" and "the majority of people" is used=20=

in the examples, it seems like he is talking about end users, not=20
developers.

Why should an end user care what kind of base technology the=20
application use? You have to differentiate between developers and end=20
users.

The developer has to choose the appropriate technology to use, and the=20=

end user may judge the result. A book index, for instance, is simple to=20=

use, but can be hard to construct. The user doesn=92t have to know=20
anything about how to make an index however.

Your average Google user wouldn't want to write html tags, which was=20
necessary the first years of building the web. In the case of HTML, the=20=

technology was easy for any developer to code and error tolerant.

Most of the Topic Maps based web applications I know of look like any=20
well designed web application to the user. Just like the Google=20
interface looks like any search engine. - Which is probably why he=20
haven't noticed the use of the TM technology lately.

Most Topic Maps based applications have a standard forms-based web=20
interface for end user editing, just like any normal web application.

 >> tools emerged where a five year old could build a web page

It=92s tempting to argue here, but let=92s say we agree that most five =
year=20
olds don=92t read and write, and use the term =93school kid=94.

The Norwegian company Cerpus have made the application Brainbank, which=20=

is made to be used by school kids:
http://cerpus.com/


Best Regards,
Are D. Gulbrandsen
The XML-group,
Center for Information Technology Services
University of Oslo