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Re: [ontolog-forum] Requirements of computer language semantics

To: "[ontolog-forum]" <ontolog-forum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
From: Joel Bender <jjb5@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Thu, 19 Mar 2009 08:41:15 -0400
Message-id: <49C23D6B.6030600@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Duane wrote:    (01)

> I will echo these two paragraphs with a strong emphasis on “highly 
> desirable” as someone who still has to write code now and then.    (02)

I will echo Duane as someone who still has to write code every day :-).    (03)

> However, all practical languages for DBs and KBs get data from and
> send data to systems that use other languages.  Therefore, it is
> highly desirable to define mappings to and from various languages.    (04)

There is a call for implementations of SKOS made by the W3C:    (05)

     <http://www.w3.org/TR/2009/CR-skos-reference-20090317/>    (06)

So rather than attempting to map L1 <-> L2, L1 <-> L3, etc., what is the 
chance that the champions of each language can define a mapping from Ln 
<-> SKOS?  Is SKOS rich enough by itself, or combined with 
RDFS/OWL/Prolog/OPS-5 better, or is it primative enough, to express the 
same statement or theorm that you could state in Ln?    (07)

Take the following collection of statements as the simplest example I 
can think of:    (08)

     All men have an aspect which is called 'height'.
     The height of a man is quantifiable.
     The height of a man is a 'length' as an International System
         of Units non-negative scaler value (metre).    (09)

     Socrates is a man.
     Socrates is two meters high.    (010)

I've attempted to write these statements in every language I've seen, 
with some success, but I am not convinced that any of my translations of 
those statements would be interoperable with anyone elses, even if we 
both used the same language.  But here I stand in the footsteps of giants.    (011)


Joel    (012)

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