[topicmapmail] tolog: specifying the TM

[Murray Altheim]

Quoting Richard Light <richard at light.demon.co.uk>:
>
> Hi,
>
> Looking at the tolog spec and tutorial, I don't see a mechanism for
> specifying _which_ Topic Map to query.  Am I missing something obvious?
>
> Richard Light

Richard,

I must admit I've not even looked at the tolog spec, as I've at
this point not had need, but the question perked my ears. In my
own use of Topic Maps, specifically, XTM documents, which XTM
document? quickly became a non-sequitor, as within my application
(of using XTM as means of ontological expression) opening even
the most rudimentary (e.g., "empty") document entailed -- and I
use that word both formally and informally -- opening at least
the upper ontology (ala Cyc) and a series of utility Topic Maps.

So "which Topic Map?" really became more of a question of "which
Topic Maps?", though really, upon merging there are no longer any
boundaries so this is only a list of sources, identifiable via
their source base URLs, <topicMap> IDs, or some other extra-XTM
way of identifying a specific source document, e.g., by some
internally- or externally-indicated metadata such as DC.identifier.
Because there is no standardized means (apart from base URL,
either inferred from context or explicitly stated) of identifying
XTM documents, __which__ Topic Map can't have a standardized
answer, it would be application-dependent.

Hope this is of some help,

Murray

...........................................................................
Murray Altheim <murray06 at altheim.com>                              ===  = =
http://www.altheim.com/murray/                                     = =  ===
SGML Grease Monkey, Banjo Player, Wantanabe Zen Monk               = =  = =

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