Tired of Hierarchies

[Aryeh M. Friedman]

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Jason C. Wells wrote:
| Aryeh M. Friedman wrote:
|
|> ~    5. If the system didn't plan for some major catagory it will be 
crunched into a sub catagory(s) that do not make very much sense for 
example under Library of Congress computer science is under math 
(QA76.XXXX) but electronics is under TK510[456].XXXX
|
| In this example the call number performs a dual function of identifier 
and grouping.  The ability to lookup the address in a computerized card 
catalog database mostly negates the weakness of the poor grouping. 
Because a computer can manage location and grouping in some other 
fashion, all we really need is a unique identifier.
|
|> A very good example all the items above is the current ports 
system.    In short the more finally cut we make our categories the 
harder it is guess/generate the "search key" (either a real key or 
metaphorically a mental picture of one).   For all the above reasons I 
would argue for flatter hieracies with metahierachies overlayed for 
different purposes then one typically sees today.
|
| The idea of an overlay I think is a very powerful one.  The file 
system hierarchy could simply be one overlay that might be applied by a 
hypothetical storage manager. An author might use an author's overlay 
suitable to the author's task.  All user's would have to be careful to 
divorce that idea of "what" they are looking at from "where" they found 
it.  There would multiple disjoint locations in an overlay system that 
all refer to precisely the same resource.
|

One issue you would need to consider in such a system is how to ensure 
that the "address" in one hierachy doesn't interfere with the address in 
an other hierachyy (the two are allowed to vary independantly).   Two 
examples pop to mind immediatly URL's and Email addresses.   
Specifically both refer to a resource that theortically has nothing to 
do with it's physical location but only on it's conceptual location.   
For example I should give a damn what machine someone uses to receive 
mail on in order to send them mail, namely how many times I switch ISP's 
my address would stay "aryeh.m.friedman" (for example) [notice no 
@dns].   Back in the late 90's I offered a service like this 
http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.atless.net but sadly not enough 
demand to keep it going.  The URL issue is the same.
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