Re: [ba-ohs-talk] DKR Progress, backlink database data
Some wild-stab-in-the-dark opinions: (01)
> Question: what is a link?
A relation, with the potential for interactive traversal between link
endpoints in the Web environment.
Some might make a distinction between a link with no explicit additional
descriptive metadata and one with. Links without are just implicit
relations - without explicit additional documentation they are no use for
communication or intelligent interaction. HTML links are generally slightly
richer than that. (02)
> Question: what is context?
Circularly, imho, that depends on the context ;-). Somebody I met once said
something like, "It's anything; whatever you take as being context is
context." (03)
> Question: when do links define context?
Imho, they don't in and of themselves. What material they link to does,
assuming it has any useful metadata content. But what's useful to whom or
what? (04)
> Question: when do links need context?
Um, not sure. But a little descriptive metadata can go a long way in
interaction -- crucially, to aid lookahead. If it's in a standard format it
goes further in enabling more interesting forms of interaction to be built
in. But again, lots of limiting choices have to be made.
'Lookahead' is the key word for me. (05)
Cheers,
Peter (06)
P.S. Eugene, what happens to /^--\s*$/ when it hits my last opinion above?
Methinks it gets messy. ;-) (07)
----- Original Message -----
From: "Jack Park" <jackpark@thinkalong.com>
To: <ba-ohs-talk@bootstrap.org>
Sent: Sunday, December 09, 2001 5:52 PM
Subject: Re: [ba-ohs-talk] DKR Progress, backlink database data (08)
> At 08:39 AM 12/9/2001 -0800, Eugene wrote:
> >I would define "context" as "stuff that gives other stuff meaning." In
> >this sense, knowledge management is all about context management. And in
> >this sense, links are, by definition, something that give context to
data.
> >So, link management itself is a subset of context management.
>
> Links are kinds of associations, and associations, themselves, require
> context. This strikes me as a great substrate for an IBIS-like discussion
> right here in email-city.
>
> Question: what is a link?
> Question: what is context?
> Question: when do links define context?
> Question: when do links need context?
>
> Jack
>
> (09)