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Language possesses combinatorial structure, i.e., a grammar of compositional symbols for the construction composite signals, i.e., messages. Messages encapsulate the ideas entities formulate regarding phenomena they perceive. Language enables entities to associate a temporal quality with their ideas. This temporal quality is a description of past events, instant events, and potential, future events; with ideas.
Language facilitates complex, continuous, asynchronous communication of ideas that coordinate action among entities involved within an activity. Language permits any given entity to function simultaneously as a sender and receiver of messages.
If one understands the theoretical development of language, one understands that the concurrent development of web services and the semantic web are not diametrically opposing concepts that threaten the survival of each other. Theoretically, language began with hominid humans. Linguists refer to this language as a proto-language that consisted of vocabulary grunted by its speakers as one or two word phrases, e.g., mom hungry, hungry mom, where both phrases mean the same thing.
All known XML schemas, i.e., vocabularies are this proto-language. This proto-language constitutes the semantic web.
For a proto-language to become an expressive language, i.e., one that facilitates complex, continuous, asynchronous communication of ideas, the rise of syntax must occur. Syntax is the collection of rules that govern the structure of a language statement. Syntax specifies how compositional symbols combine to form phrases that intend to impart significant ideas.
Element tags of any given XML instance are nothing more than nouns and their associated descriptions. Web services represent verbs of language, words that explain action. When XML combines with applications that process XML, i.e., web services, we acquire a language for the communication of complex ideas.
Users of spoken compositional languages can construct an unlimited amount of complex, information-bearing expressions derived from a relatively small amount of basic symbols. The channel of speaking compositional languages is simple and non-proprietary in nature. No single person owns a language. There isn’t a proprietary format that encodes our language.
The HTTP protocol is the appropriate channel that carries our new language for the same reason. Other protocols work suitably well for the transmission of messages encoded within a proprietary format. HTTP allows non-proprietary encoded compositional symbols to flow freely from sender to receiver. ASCII and Unicode files are easy to encode and no one earns a royalty from their use. A XML file served to a client through HTTP is a perfect example of this simplicity.
The web services vs. semantic web war is not unlike a dreaded nuclear war becoming real for everyone on earth because individuals signed away their property rights to allegedly representative, democratic governments. Neither the W3C, which represents the semantic web camp, nor select corporations, which represent the web services camp, have our best interests within their minds. The time has come to liberate ourselves from dictatorial decrees forced upon us by these entities. Internet and WWW standards should come from an open source model.
I encourage each of you to read my article regarding this debate. One can find my article from a link that exists on the web page written by Mr. Dumbill regarding this issue.
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