Re: PROV-ISSUE-184: Section 2.1.2 (PROV-DM version as on Nov 28th) [prov-dm]

Hi Satya and Jim,

I believe the proposals
http://www.w3.org/2011/prov/meeting/2011-12-15#resolution_2
http://www.w3.org/2011/prov/meeting/2011-12-15#resolution_3
address this issue, and changes have now been implemented. See:
http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/public-prov-wg/2011Dec/0216.html

We didn't reach consensus to replace the word 'event' by another term.
I have added links from occurrences of this word to its definition, and
also have added the adjective 'instananeous' where I felt clarification was
needs.

I propose to close this issue, pending review.

Best regards,
Luc

On 12/07/2011 01:43 AM, Provenance Working Group Issue Tracker wrote:
> PROV-ISSUE-184: Section 2.1.2 (PROV-DM version as on Nov 28th) [prov-dm]
>
> http://www.w3.org/2011/prov/track/issues/184
>
> Raised by: Satya Sahoo
> On product: prov-dm
>
> Hi,
> The following are my comments regarding Section 2.1.2 of the PROV-DM document as on Nov 28, 2011.
>
> Section 2.1.2:
> 1. "Hence, in our conceptualization of the world, an instantaneous event, or event for short, happens in the world and marks a change in the world, in its activities and in its entities."
>
> Comment: According to this definition, an activity is also an event, since "it happens in the world and marks a change in the world".
> Section 5.3.1.1 states "A generation event may be, for example, the creation of a file by a program, the creation of a linked data set, the production of a new version of a document, and the sending of a value on a communication channel." So, generation event is being used as a synonym of an activity?
>
> In addition, Section 2.1.1 describes a world as "real or not" and includes "digital, conceptual etc." - an event in many scenario will not mark a change in "that" world. For example, person looks at the clock and continues in previous state - it is an event but what changed in the world?
>
> 2. "events represent communications or interactions; they are assumed to be atomic and instantaneous."
>
> Comment: This is contradictory to what is stated in Section 5.3.1.2, "A usage event may be the consumption of a parameter by a procedure, the reading of a value on a port by a service, the reading of a configuration file by a program, or the adding of an ingredient, such as eggs, in a baking activity." The reading of a configuration file by program is not instantaneous? Adding of eggs in baking activity is not instantaneous? As I have commented on the previous version of DM, this is an artificial requirement for events to be instantaneous.
>
> In addition, why is it required that events are atomic? Adding ingredient in a baking activity is never atomic - egg shells are broken, egg is stirred, egg mix is slowly added to the cake batter, while the batter is mixed continuously etc. Similarly, for events such as reading of file - access is checked, read lock is acquired, i-node is updated, reader process reads content of file etc.
>
>
>
>
>    

-- 
Professor Luc Moreau
Electronics and Computer Science   tel:   +44 23 8059 4487
University of Southampton          fax:   +44 23 8059 2865
Southampton SO17 1BJ               email: l.moreau@ecs.soton.ac.uk
United Kingdom                     http://www.ecs.soton.ac.uk/~lavm

Received on Monday, 19 December 2011 09:17:53 UTC