[Gzz-commits] manuscripts/URN5 urn5.rst

[Tuomas J. Lukka]

CVSROOT:        /cvsroot/gzz
Module name:    manuscripts
Changes by:     Tuomas J. Lukka <address@hidden>        02/12/12 13:42:01

Modified files:
        URN5           : urn5.rst 

Log message:
        Lots of editing

CVSWeb URLs:
http://savannah.gnu.org/cgi-bin/viewcvs/gzz/manuscripts/URN5/urn5.rst.diff?tr1=1.1.1.1&tr2=1.2&r1=text&r2=text

Patches:
Index: manuscripts/URN5/urn5.rst
diff -u manuscripts/URN5/urn5.rst:1.1 manuscripts/URN5/urn5.rst:1.2
--- manuscripts/URN5/urn5.rst:1.1       Fri Dec  6 10:56:57 2002
+++ manuscripts/URN5/urn5.rst   Thu Dec 12 13:42:01 2002
@@ -11,9 +11,13 @@
 ========
 
 Our research group has recently registered the informal ``urn-5`` namespace
-with IANA. We discuss the rationale and
+with IANA. 
+We discuss the rationale and
 possible applications for this open namespace.
 
+The namespace is basically random numbers, important is the semantics
+and applications.
+
 
 Introduction
 ============
@@ -38,16 +42,65 @@
 - URN
 - OID!!
 
+Ontologies
+
 Needs for identification
     RDF
     bidirectional linking
 
+Content-addressability and pointing: the two complementary operations
+=====================================================================
+
+"I want the newspaper article whose hash is 239273498275"
+"I want to know what articles are in today's newspaper"
+
+Normal WWW conflates the two. 
+E.g. WWW caching: cache will ask original server whether something
+changed and if not, bring the cached document.
+If two operations separated, more flexible mechanism: always
+ask original server for name --> content-address mapping, then
+ask P2P network for actual data.
+
+You mean, talking about the idea that all user-meaningful "objects"
+(Ted's items...), like documents, paragraphs, vector graphics shapes
+etc. get a global identity the moment they're created, allowing to talk
+about them in a globally unique way? That sounds interesting. Could
+relate this to the Semantic Web (how you're able to make RDF statements
+about these things, e.g. metadata). Talk about how it gets rid of
+context problems (the id stays the same when moving the object to a
+different document) and possibly, how this allows for Ted's
+transclusions and links (links can be implemented using RDF and RDF
+search engines, which are in development). Can then relate it to
+zzstructure (editing textual XML with these identifiers is possible, but
+no fun; with a structural editor, like a zzstructure client, the ids can
+remain hidden).
+
+Yes. Along with discussing the difference between this and urn:sha-1 really
+carefully.
+
+
+(Between this and "identification schemes based on secure hashing, such
+as the (unregistered) Freenet URIs": urn:sha-1 is neither used nor
+registered nor in the process of being registered, so the most we could
+refer to it is as an idea someone has had at some point. A nit, I know,
+but important when publishing this.)
+
+Possible order of presentation:
+
+- Globally unique ids and why you want to use them
+- Places that don't use globally unique ids currently, and what you
+  cannot do because of that
+
+
+Cite some of the DNS troubles, muscling of individuals by large corporations
+etc.
+
 URN namespaces
 ==============
 
 ALL OTHER CURRENT URNs ARE CLOSED NAMESPACES?!?!
 http://www.iana.org/assignments/urn-namespaces
-EXCEPT urn:sha WHICH IS NOT OFFICIAL
+EXCEPT urn:sha WHICH IS NOT OFFICIAL, and is a content-addressing name.
 
 If you have a domain name, you can use urn:NewsML:, and the
 urn:tag: currently submitted to IESG for publication as an RFC.
@@ -77,68 +130,70 @@
 
 
 
+
 The ``urn:urn-5:`` namespace
 ============================
 
-CONTENT-ADDRESSABILITY AND POINTING: THE TWO COMPLEMENTARY OPERATIONS
-"I want the newspaper article whose hash is 239273498275"
-"I want to know what articles are in today's newspaper"
+- The urn:urn-5 namespace
 
-You mean, talking about the idea that all user-meaningful "objects"
-(Ted's items...), like documents, paragraphs, vector graphics shapes
-etc. get a global identity the moment they're created, allowing to talk
-about them in a globally unique way? That sounds interesting. Could
-relate this to the Semantic Web (how you're able to make RDF statements
-about these things, e.g. metadata). Talk about how it gets rid of
-context problems (the id stays the same when moving the object to a
-different document) and possibly, how this allows for Ted's
-transclusions and links (links can be implemented using RDF and RDF
-search engines, which are in development). Can then relate it to
-zzstructure (editing textual XML with these identifiers is possible, but
-no fun; with a structural editor, like a zzstructure client, the ids can
-remain hidden).
+- how it works
 
+The "technology" behind the ``urn-5`` namespace is more or less trivial:
+the identifier structure is ::
 
-One really important point:
+         urn:urn-5:<random number>[:<local part>]
 
-    non-hierarchy.
+where *<random number>* is a random number of at least 160 bits
+base64-encoded. The local part is an arbitrary string of characters
+allowed in URNs without escaping.
 
-Cite some of the DNS troubles, muscling of individuals by large corporations
-etc.
 
+Creating globally unique "nodes".
 
+Any time, anywhere, no hassle whatsoever, no configuration, *NOTHING*.
 
-Yes. Along with discussing the difference between this and urn:sha-1 really
-carefully.
+One really important point:
 
+    non-hierarchy.
 
+Unguessable
+    
+    - except when using ...-1, ...-2
+       
+       - should only do so when certain it's not a problem.
+
+           - ZZ spaces: ??!
 
 
-(Between this and "identification schemes based on secure hashing, such
-as the (unregistered) Freenet URIs": urn:sha-1 is neither used nor
-registered nor in the process of being registered, so the most we could
-refer to it is as an idea someone has had at some point. A nit, I know,
-but important when publishing this.)
 
-Possible order of presentation:
 
-- Globally unique ids and why you want to use them
-- Places that don't use globally unique ids currently, and what you
-  cannot do because of that
-- The urn:urn-5 namespace
-- how it works
-- how it's different from hashing
 - Caveat: Human readability/writability problems
-- only in text editors, structure editors can handle ids internally
 
-- Caveat: unlike relative identifiers, when you have an urn:urn-5 id,
-  you don't automatically have any document/context it appears in
-  - when an anchor is removed?
+    - only in text editors, structure editors can handle ids internally
+
+Anyone may "spoof" an id -- but not really mean that because 
+urn-5 SHOULD NOT BE USED FOR DIRECT RESOLUTION WITH ONE RESULT!!
+
+Possibly easier to think of as "words": using urn-5 names for concepts
+makes it easier for search engines. For instance, searching for web pages
+discussing the ancient board game "go" is made difficult by the common 
+homonym.
+
+If the word had been agreed to be ``urn:urn-5:Ot877naD3qzF5VzzItZbozeKWOuV'',
+no such problem would arise. Of course, an intentional DOS attack
+of creating many pages seemingly discussing this would be possible.
+
+The URN-5 name could be seen as a node in a graph, and resolving the name
+would be asking for the edges it touches.
+    
+    urn-5s, 
+    by themselves, *never* refer to documents.
+    They are not resolvable. Documents may only state that they have
+    something to do with a urn-5, and a search may be performed and return
+    that; but that doesn't mean that you can make a reference,
+    'show the document identified by this urn-5, here.'
 
-Cryptography
-============
 
-Tying a particular URN-5 to an identity using signatures?
 
 Applications
 ============
@@ -147,8 +202,9 @@
   you want to perform lookups using them
 - this kind of registry would allow RDF statements about identified
   objects to be resolved
+
 - could use this to implement transclusions and links
-- Conclusions
+    - NOT!
 
 - RDF
 - HTML anchors
@@ -161,36 +217,22 @@
 
 (Btw, JXTA ids may also be worth looking at.)
 
+- Caveat: unlike relative identifiers, when you have an urn:urn-5 id,
+  you don't automatically have any document/context it appears in
+  - when an anchor is removed?
 
+Identity: libpaper
 
-Potential problems
-==================
+Conclusion
+==========
 
 Potential problem: someone makes program that assigns urn-5s badly,
 to create havoc. This problem is really no different from the corresponding
 one with digital signatures: you have to trust the software you use.
 
-Tuomas once said:
-    Another: no way to verify an index. Anyone may spoof an id easily.
-    Therefore, you can't really refer to an id outside the current context:
-    too easy to substitute another document for it.
-
-Benja notes:
-    As was clarified in the following discussion, Tuomas' statement above
-    *makes no sense*. urn-5s, by themselves, *never* refer to documents.
-    They are not resolvable. Documents may only state that they have
-    something to do with a urn-5, and a search may be performed and return
-    that; but that doesn't mean that you can make a reference,
-    'show the document identified by this urn-5, here.'
+However, the worst result is that some of the nodes in the graph
+described above are joined. While annoying, it should be no catastrophen
 
-    We have to be really careful to get this point across correctly,
-    beca
-
-T:
-
-    Someone can still "DOS" attack a URN-5 by creating lots of documents
-    that talk about it as something entirely different from the original.
-    
 
 Coupling urn-5 with digital signatures?
 
@@ -211,8 +253,6 @@
     (Freenet gets around the problem by identifying entities
     by unchangeable public keys; not nice.)
 
-When central, X.400, PKI
+When central, X.400, PKI.
+However, then why use URN-5 at all if you have central names?
 
-
-Conclusion
-==========