Nova Spivack has just penned a post titled:
On the Difference Between "Semantic" and
"Semantic Web", where he covers the fundamental difference
between "Semantic" (what I call "Semantics Inside") and "Semantic Web" applications. I would like to
extend the distinctions further by adding the "Linked Data Web" distinctions to the developing
discourse.
The Linked Data Web (aka. Linked Data) describes RDF data
injected into the Web, where the Data Object Identifiers (URIs) in an
RDF graph (collection of RDF triples) are endowed with HTTP based URIs. The net effect of this
approach to Data Object Identity is that it facilitates
"Open Data Access by Reference" on the Web (aka
data dereferencing).
If you recall pre Web ubiquity, in the enterprise realm for
instance, Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) emerged as a mechanism for separating
Data Access and Data
Management in the database oriented Client-Sever model. Although
ODBC gave you access to data, the data access entry
point took the form of a data access specific naming mechanism
called a "Data Source Name" (DSN). ODBC DSNs typically exposed Tables or Views.
The same thing applies to JDBC where a non HTTP based URN scheme applies.
Zip forward to where we are today on the Web; the Web is
evolving from a Document centric Database to a Distributed Object Database, and you should see that in
Linked Data we are now truly looking at the
best of all worlds: Web Open Database Connectivity (WODBC) with the
following advantages:
- direct Access to a single Record
(an
Entity) or Record Sets (
RDF based
Entity Sets) by reference over
HTTP across disparate Data Spaces on the
Web
- the ability to mesh disparate data
sources without being impeded by back-end DBMS engine model,
vendor, host operating development frameworks, or host operating
system specificity
- an opportunity to learn from the
enterprise DBMS market and Client-Server markets of yore with
regards to the shape and form of next generation
Linked Data Web oriented solutions.
To conclude, we now have "Semantics Inside" (RDF or non RDF),
"Semantic Web" (RDF graphs with Object
Identifiers that may or may not be HTTP based), and "Linked Data Web" (RDF graphs with Object Identifiers that
must be HTTP based and dereferencable) oriented
applications, in the emerging landscape associated with the
"Semantics" moniker.
As per usual, this post is a record in my Blog
oriented Data Space on the Web. The permalink of this
post is a URI constructed with Giant Global Graph enrichment in mind :-)