[sc34wg3] Let's revert to N323! [was: Structuring the topic map standards]

[Ann Wrightson]

Steve & all,

This whole area is one we will discuss at our UK NB meeting on Feb 11th.
I hope that I will be able to attend that meeting, and that the UK NB
committee will feel it appropriate to post its response to the NWI to
this list as well as via formal channels.

I don't feel I can speak *for the UK* on the list.  Although I am there
as nominated UK principal expert at the convened WG3 meetings, in
between times that "hat" does not exist, and the only veritable "voice
of the UK" is the BSI committee.

My personal view is that although the maillist is excellent for
thrashing out technical issues, it is not such a good place for these
shape-of-the-work issues. I have a lot of sympathy for Mary's recent
posting.=20

Regards,

Ann W.

-----Original Message-----
From: Steve Pepper [mailto:pepper@ontopia.net]=20
Sent: 02 February 2003 16:30
To: sc34wg3@isotopicmaps.org
Subject: [sc34wg3] Let's revert to N323!


Baltimore was a very productive meeting in many ways, especially in
terms of resolving issues in the SAM. But the decisions we took relating
to the "roadmap" have simply caused confusion.

Until then we had documented consensus on the direction we were taking,
as shown in N323

    http://www.y12.doe.gov/sgml/sc34/document/0323.htm

In summary, this consensus consisted of the following:

(1)  13250 would be "restated" as a multipart standard with the SAM
      as its core.
(2)  Separate parts would be devoted to the XTM and HyTM syntaxes
      respectively. Each would include a deserialization specification
      expressed in terms of the SAM as well as a specification of the
      syntax itself.
(3)  A separate part would be devoted to the canonicalization syntax,
      again expressed in terms of the SAM.
(4)  TMCL and TMQL would be separate standards defined in terms of the
      SAM.
(5)  The Reference Model would constitute a separate part of 13250 and
      there would be a mapping from the RM to the SAM.

In Baltimore we changed this "roadmap" in two separate ways:

(i)  We recommended going for multiple standards instead of a multipart
      standard.
(ii) We rearranged the distribution of content between the SAM and the
      syntax parts.

According to Lars Marius (the editor and primus motor behind both the
SAM and the XTM syntax specification) the latter decision screws things
up for him in a major way. We should take this very seriously.

Other people have also objected to the way in which the latter two
decisions were reached.

For those reasons, I think we should do as Lars Marius suggests and
regard N323 as the last documented consensus.

In London we should take a final decision on whether to go the multipart
route or the multiple standard route. Provided our new work item
proposal
(N358) is approved, I think we are free to make that choice ourselves.
(That is, although N358 states that we "expect" to develop more than one
standard, we can still do a multipart standard, if we so choose.)

However, if we are to make progress with the SAM we *have* to resolve
the "distribution of content" issue so that the editors can resume
working.

I propose, therefore, that we disregard the final paragraph under
Section 4 of N372 and ask the editors to continue work along the lines
described in N323.

I ask everyone else to focus on N323 and say what, if anything, they
disagree with there and what, if anything, they feel is too vague and
needs to be expanded.

Once again, the URL is

    http://www.y12.doe.gov/sgml/sc34/document/0323.htm

Print it out! Read it! Send your comments!

I am particularly interested in knowing if the various National Body
representatives on this list (1) agree to let N323 be our starting point
for further discussion; (2) wish to suggest any changes to N323.

Japan? Korea? US? Canada? Germany? UK? Netherlands? Norway? Please let
me know if you agree with this proposal.

Thanks.

Steve

--
Steve Pepper, Chief Executive Officer <pepper@ontopia.net> Convenor,
ISO/IEC JTC1/SC34/WG3  Editor, XTM (XML Topic Maps) Ontopia AS, Waldemar
Thranes gt. 98, N-0175 Oslo, Norway. http://www.ontopia.net/ phone:
+47-23233080 GSM: +47-90827246

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