URNs, FPIs, and RFC 1737

[W. Eliot Kimber]

At 10:49 AM 9/22/98 +0100, Michael Kay wrote:
>Eliot Kimber:
>>...it is wrong to use names in a space you don't control.

>If this is "wrong", I think you need to distinguish whether
>you mean "it does not conform to standard XYZ", or "it is
>usually bad engineering practice", or "it is against
>European Law", or "it is contrary to ethical norms".
>
>In the case of XML Public Identifiers, I'm not sure the
>practice is intrinsically "wrong" on any of these counts; it
>is only wrong if it hurts someone.

I contend it's certainly contrary to ethical norms. It's probably
actionable in US civil courts if harm can be demonstrated, and I can
certainly imagine that as these issues become more widely understood, that
national or international law might be brought to bear.

The most the standards can do is provide a framework and set of conventions
that solve the technical aspecs of the problem. It is up to society to
define and enforce the ethical aspects of the problem.

Cheers,

E.
--
<Address HyTime=bibloc>
W. Eliot Kimber, Senior Consulting SGML Engineer
ISOGEN International Corp.
2200 N. Lamar St., Suite 230, Dallas, TX 75202.  214.953.0004
www.isogen.com
</Address>

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