[topicmapmail] PSIs - alternatives

[Alexander Johannesen]

Hi there,

> > And I agree too that PSI's are fine. It's that resolver thing I've got
> > a problem with.
>
> Not me. I think issues of resolution are what?  ...context-dependent.

Non-exsistant? :)

> > Wasn't that Steve's point, though, that if it doesn't resolve to
> > something, it ain't a PSI anymore? What in fact does 'published' mean?
>
> I think "published" is also context-dependent.

Hehe, that's the sort of answer I would expect from the likes of you. :)

> > Sounds like we need a set of PSI's for PSI's. :)
>
> Only within the context of use that might require such a thing.

Well, I was thinking of resolver at this point, so, yeah.

> > Maybe that's why I feel it's been discussed ad naseum ; I work for a
> > library, and all they talk about here is PI, federation,
> > classification, repositories and DRM. Sorry to bring my assumptions
> > along to this group. :)
>
> Same here, but I don't get nauseous about it; it seems like part
> and parcel of the kinds of things that libraries have traditionally
> and appropriately taken on in their roles of information management,
> and I am happy whenever I hear of the library community stepping up
> to the plate of that responsibility. I don't trust ISO, OASIS, the
> W3C or the AI/KR/OntEng academic community for that kind of thing
> -- the expertise is obviously in the library community. Figuring
> out how to get librarians and computer scientists to talk to each
> other is probably a large part of both our jobs.

Amen. And I really don't get nauseous that easily. :) I spent my lunch
hour reading Peppers paper, and it summaries things pretty well, but
I feel it has got no *solution*, only suggestions. The reason we like PSI's
is well established, but it's the "working together" part which is a
bit flakey; all that human constructisms floating about. As much as
we're technological world-savers doesn't mean we can do it on a real
and human level. :)

Maybe what is needed is the worlds simplest, most portable, usable,
free and clever PSI publishing software; just attach it to your psi
subdomain, and off you go; ontology out of the box, publishing and
possibly external resolving. It needs to be so simple and powerful that
people would just simply gobble it up and bloody use it. If not, it will
be pointless, unless Microsoft releases something like this to every
PC around, and OSX comes with it, and Apache has it as a module
or something ...


Alex
-- 
"Ultimately, all things are known because you want to believe you know."
                                                         - Frank Herbert
__ http://shelter.nu/ __________________________________________________