[oslc-core] Addition to Link Guidance: don't make assumptions about links

[Scott Bosworth]

+1 on Steve's modified language.. In particular, I found the language in
the original about "bad practices on property names" to be inappropriate
for general guidance on links ...Scott


Scott Bosworth | IBM Rational CTO Team | bosworth at us.ibm.com | 919.486.2197
(w) | 919.244.3387(m) | 919.254.5271(f)

oslc-core-bounces at open-services.net wrote on 08/29/2010 01:14:53 PM:

> From: Steve K Speicher/Raleigh/IBM at IBMUS
> To: oslc-core <oslc-core at open-services.net>
> Date: 08/29/2010 01:15 PM
> Subject: Re: [oslc-core] Addition to Link Guidance: don't make
> assumptions about links
> Sent by: oslc-core-bounces at open-services.net
>
> After first and second read, I proposed this modified version of the
> guidance. I still think there are scenarios where putting "kind" of
> relationship in the name is valid, but the guidance should state
> that even if it is named this way the actual type of the target may
> not be an expected one.
>
> Updated guidance:
>
> Don't make assumptions about the target of links
>
> Relationships in OSLC resources are at their simplest an RDF
> property whose object is a URI. Some properties require and assume a
> resource of a particular type as the target for a given link type.
> In general however, it is desired not to make type assumptions on
> the target of links.  The property's purpose and name should clearly
> reflect the scenarios it is supporting.  Since the usage of these
> relationship properties may exist for a long period of time,
> specification authors should use great care in determining these.
>
> As resources evolve over time, and they adapt to different
> situations, different types will be exposed as targets to existing
> link types. Well behaved clients should gracefully handle resource
> types it doesn't expect when exercising links in resources.
>
> Thanks,
> Steve Speicher | IBM Rational Software | (919) 254-0645
>
>
> > From: Dave <snoopdave at gmail.com>
> > To: oslc-core <oslc-core at open-services.net>
> > Date: 08/27/2010 01:48 PM
> > Subject: [oslc-core] Addition to Link Guidance: don't make
> > assumptions about links
> > Sent by: oslc-core-bounces at open-services.net
> >
> > Jim Conallen and Ian Green wrote the guidance below on links and I've
> > added it to the Link Guidance document for your review. I think it
> > offers good advice and stops short of making mandates, which is also
> > good. Thoughts?
> >
> > Thanks,
> > Dave
> >
> >
> > The new guidance:
> >
> > Don't make assumptions about the target of links
> >
> > Relationships in OSLC resources are at their simplest an RDF property
> > whose object is a URI. Some properties require and assume a resource
> > of a particular type as the target for a given link type. In general
> > however, it is considered a good design not to make type assumptions
> > on the target of links. It is also considered a bad practice to embed
> > in the predicate name assumptions of the resource type of the object.
> > For example the link type oslc:implementedByChangeRequest implies the
> > target resource is a Change Request. Instead the preferred type would
> > be oslc:implementedBy.
> >
> > As resources evolve over time, and they adapt to different situations,
> > different types will be exposed as targets to existing link types.
> > Well behaved clients should gracefully handle resource types it
> > doesn't expect when exercising links in resources.
> >
> > Link:
> > http://open-services.net/bin/view/Main/
> > OSLCCoreLinksDRAFT#Don_t_make_assumptions_about_the
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > Oslc-Core mailing list
> > Oslc-Core at open-services.net
> > http://open-services.net/mailman/listinfo/oslc-core_open-services.net
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