|
Violates “unique root” rule? |
Need new mapping? |
Handle legacy content? |
Need browser or OS hack? |
Likely failure mode |
Server-side reference mapping |
no |
yes |
yes |
no |
labor intensive, technically fragile |
Owned domains |
no |
no |
maybe |
no |
endowment exhaustion, trustee corruption |
Alternate DNS root |
yes |
yes |
yes |
change root |
very brittle |
Client-side mapping of http: URIs |
sort of |
yes |
yes |
yes |
no uptake |
Client-side mapping of urn:, ark:, etc. |
no |
yes |
no |
yes |
no uptake |
Reference mapping: Before content is delivered to client, all contained references are mapped to http: URIs that work. Could be done on server or on client.
Owned domains: Credible institutional commitment to preserving accessibility for a long time.
Alternate DNS root: Maintenance of a shadow DNS system in which accessibility is better somehow.
Client-side mapping: The browser or operating system resolves references that won’t work to ones that do.
Unique root rule: See RFC 2826.
New mapping: A table, system of tables, rules, etc. that map references as encountered to actionable references.
Legacy content: HTML, RDF, any existing files containing http: URIs, or new files following rules that mandate http: URIs.
Browser or OS hack: a software hook that intercepts the way links are followed, that needs to be installed in every client that wants to be able to resolve these references