[sc34wg3] Conformance

[Lars Marius Garshol]

* Luis J. Martinez
| 
| I don't think I use the term "data model" on my post, because I
| don't know what data model means. All I am concern with is a Model,
| an absraction of the concept of Topic Maps and its semantics.

That's OK, but it does mean that you are describing a model that has a
different goal from what the SAM does.
 
| By your response above, it tells me that conformance to the model is
| absolutely required. Lars, does that convinces you too that
| conformance to the model is absolutely required?

It doesn't. Graham described the spec as it stands, and not
necessarily his personal opinion of what it *ought* to say.
 
| Now, the issue that the SAM clearly and unambiguously define what
| are Topic Maps in general terms is something else. 

I think the SAM does that. If you don't, why not?

| Statements like "Applications and users are therefore free to merge
| topics as they see fit." worries me because it seems under
| specified. It should be clear what has to merge. 

It *is* clear what *has* to merge. It's also clear that you are
allowed to do additional merging.

I do agree, however, that that sentence read out of context does sound
a bit too wide. How about this?

  "Applications and users are therefore free to apply merging in
  addition to the minimal merging required by the rules of <specref
  ref="sect-merging"/>."

| Also, there are some parts that do not seem to be part of Topic
| Maps, like Locators and the SAM's use of "reification". They seem to
| me like a particular solution to a requirement. Can Topic Maps be
| implemented without implementing Locators and "reification"? I think
| so.

Locators are what allows us to deal with both HyTime locators and web
URIs without marrying topic maps to either HyTime or the web. Obviously,
locators are not part of topic maps, but topic maps do need to connect
to an addressing mechanism somewhere, and locators allow that.

As for reification that is an integral part of XTM and you can't
implement XTM without implementing reification. You don't have to
implement it the way SAM does, but you do have to implement it somehow.

-- 
Lars Marius Garshol, Ontopian         <URL: http://www.ontopia.net >
GSM: +47 98 21 55 50                  <URL: http://www.garshol.priv.no >