Re: [Handle-info] 0.type

[Sean Reilly <sreilly@cnri.reston.va.us>]

FYI you can easily view the registered handles for some of these  
types by resolving 0.TYPE/<typename> handles.  For example:
  http://hdl.handle.net/0.TYPE/URL
...shows a description of the type (in the DESC value of the 0.TYPE/ 
URL handle) that I've included below for some of the registered types:

Some of the types that have been registered are:
 URL
  "Values of type URL are UTF8-encoded URIs that specify the  
location of the object identified by a handle"
 DESC
  "Values of type DESC are UTF8-encoded text descriptions of the  
object identified by the handle."
 EMAIL
  "Values of type EMAIL are UTF8-encoded email addresses"

There are also the types used by the system itself:
 HS_ADMIN
 HS_SITE
 HS_VLIST
 HS_SECKEY
 HS_PUBKEY
 HS_SERV
 HS_ALIAS
which are defined in the RFC's on the handle system.
  http://hdl.handle.net/4263537/4069
  http://hdl.handle.net/4263537/4068
  http://hdl.handle.net/4263537/4086

Ideally the DESC value for a type handle will include pointers to an  
RFC, DTD or whatever formal specification might be available.

I've started using a few other types for different projects and will  
create 0.TYPE/.. handles for them as soon as they are in a releasable  
state.  One example is HS_NAMESPACE which can go in prefix handles to  
provide information about the namespace defined by that prefix.   
HS_NAMESPACE values will be simple bits of XML that contain contact  
information for the "owner" of the namespace, public key for offline  
signatures under the namespace, and the active/inactive status for  
the namespace.

Personally, I'd like to see a new type with a more flexible (and  
extensible) definition of "location" of an object.  For example,  
instead of just a single URL in a value with type "URL" you could  
have one "LOCATION" value containing an XML blurb describing all the  
different locations in which the object resides, attributes of each  
location (ie language, geographic/network locality, digest/hash of  
the resource, location priority/weight, different types of URIs, href  
base (as a handle) etc).  If this were implemented the hdl.handle.net  
proxy could be updated to redirect clients based on the richer data  
in the LOCATION value and fall back to using the URL value if there  
were no more detailed LOCATION information.

Thanks,
Sean

On Nov 21, 2006, at 8:45 PM, Jane Euler wrote:

> Hi Richard:
> Right now the only types that are registered(and that means created  
> in the handle system) are URL, EMAIL, DESC and all the  
> administrative types such as HS_SITE and HS_ADMIN.
> But we are working on having a real registry to hold this  
> information and make it available to all handle system users.  We  
> also hope to have users contribute their own types. All of these  
> means that we need to come up with policy and procedures.  I will  
> definitely keep you posted by using this email list.
> Thank you for your interest.
> Jane Euler
> CNRI
>
>
>
>
>
>
> At 07:02 AM 11/21/2006, richard wrote:
> > Hi,
> > I have seen in the docs for Handle System a predefined type :  
> > 0.type/URL.
> > I'd like to know what other types are predefined. Any for images?
> >
> > Thanks,
> > Richard Hines
> > (Analista)
> > Telefónica Investigación y Desarrollo
> > Madrid, España.
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > Handle-Info mailing list
> > Handle-Info@cnri.reston.va.us
> > http://www.handle.net/mailman/listinfo/handle-info
>
>
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