Re: Comments on HTML Microdata, W3C Working Draft 24 June 2010

On Fri, 27 Aug 2010, Thomas Baker wrote:
>
> I am happy to see DCMI Terms included in the HTML Microdata 
> specification and have a few constructive comments on points of detail.
> 
> 1) Use of dcterms:source
> 
>    In section 5.2 (normative) [1], dcterms:source is being used
>    where dcterms:references might be more appropriate.
> 
>    The "cite" element is described as follows [2]:
> 
>         The cite element represents the title of a work...  that is
>         being quoted or referenced in detail (i.e. a citation),
>         or it can just be a work that is mentioned in passing.
> 
>    Point 4 of the RDF conversion algorithm [1], then, appears
>    to map cites to triples using dcterms:source with,
>    in the object position, an "absolute URL that results
>    from resolving the value of the element's cite attribute
>    relative to the element".

This is about the cite="" attribute, not the <cite> element.

>    If I am grasping this mechanism correctly, then dcterms:source
>    would seem to be misplaced here, as dcterms:source is defined as follows:
> 
>         A related resource from which the described resource is derived.

This seems to be an accurate description of the cite="" attribute.


> 2) Use of dcterms:creator
> 
>    In section 5.2.1 (non-normative), the first example expresses the author
>    of the book as
> 
>         <span itemprop="http://purl.org/dc/terms/creator">Wil Wheaton</span>
> 
>    As with dcterms:references, however, dcterms:creator is intended to be
>    used with non-literal values (i.e., URIs or blank nodes).
> 
>    On the other hand, dc:creator, which has no formal range (having been 
>    coined before the notion of formal domains and ranges in RDF was finalized),
>    would be correct, i.e.:
> 
>         <span itemprop="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/creator">Wil Wheaton</span>
> 
>    The difference between the /elements/1.1/ and /terms/ namespaces is
>    discussed more fully in [4].

I've updated the spec to use this instead.


> 3) Mapped prefixes for Dublin Core namespaces
> 
>    In the Examples section [5], the prefix "dc:" is mapped
>    to http://purl.org/dc/terms/:
> 
>         @prefix dc: <http://purl.org/dc/terms/> .
> 
>    Of course, mappings are local and implementers are free to
>    choose arbitrary alphanumeric sequences for use as prefixes.
>    In a Semantic Web context, however, we more commonly find 
>    prefixes mapped as follows:
> 
>         @prefix dc:                <http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/> .
>         @prefix dcterms: (or dct:) <http://purl.org/dc/terms/> .

I've used dce: and dct:, since now the example has both.

As a general rule I try to not use any conventions in the examples, so as 
to not incorrectly lead readers to think that the conventions are anything 
more than conventions. For example, you'll notice that the examples vary 
wildly in what style they use for HTML syntax (uppercase, lowercase, etc).

Cheers,
-- 
Ian Hickson               U+1047E                )\._.,--....,'``.    fL
http://ln.hixie.ch/       U+263A                /,   _.. \   _\  ;`._ ,.
Things that are impossible just take longer.   `._.-(,_..'--(,_..'`-.;.'

Received on Tuesday, 7 December 2010 02:43:04 UTC