Re: Slightly OT: MARC

Alex,

Jumping to the mapping issue:

On 7/19/2010 10:51 PM, Alexander Johannesen wrote:
<snip>
>> I would much prefer to devote time and energy to mapping between
>> inconsistent identifications than trying to invent yet another inconsistent
>> set of identifiers that won't be universally adopted.
>>      
> The only problem with the mapping is the semantics lost and gained in
> the process itself. It's no fool-proof either, and to me seems like a
> lot of wasted repetition between us all. Don't know.
>
>    

Hmmm, well, but if mapping results in "semantics lost and gained in the 
process itself....," isn't that true of the transition to some new set 
of identifiers?

So for that at least, topic maps break even with proposals to adopt some 
new universal set of identifiers.

Yes?

Either way, there is a mapping involved so the same levels of danger of 
semantics being gained or lost.

To not map, however, leave us in semantic isolation. Not the best choice.

******

Yes, the bugaboo of "wasted repetition" by having multiple 
identifications for a subject.

Same argument you will recall was made for Esperanto. And Log-lang. And 
they would promote greater international understanding and cooperation. 
Variants of what Umberto Eco writes about in "The Search for the Perfect 
Language." (Blackwell, 1995) Eco cites references to several hundred 
such perfect language projects. The current SW stuff are 
johnny-come-lately variants of much older themes.

My point being that efforts to create universal identifiers result in 
*additional* identifiers that reside along side the ones we already had. 
So they simply add to the problem by having created yet another identifier.

Well, and the other point is that universal identifier/perfect language 
projects have always failed. (full stop) There are no contrary examples. 
(Recalling that universal means just that, universal. It is insufficient 
for a group to decide it is the world and therefore universal.)

Hope you are having a great day!

Patrick

-- 
Patrick Durusau
patrick-Q/[email protected]
Chair, V1 - US TAG to JTC 1/SC 34
Convener, JTC 1/SC 34/WG 3 (Topic Maps)
Editor, OpenDocument Format TC (OASIS), Project Editor ISO/IEC 26300
Co-Editor, ISO/IEC 13250-1, 13250-5 (Topic Maps)

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