Jeni's Musings

One thing that I'm missing in this discussion is what, in the HTML5 model, actively prevents one from using the RDF model. Or, put another way, is it not possible to encode an RDF graph using the microdata syntax (I admit that I've thought about it very shortly, and not looked at the details, and also skipped on the discussion after a while...) and if not are there acceptably small and simple changes that would allow it?

I understand that a concern could then be that some pages would have microdata in an RDF model, while others would use an entirely different approach, which could confuse tools — but it's not as if there were no technical solutions to that issue. One could flag that a document uses the RDF-in-Microdata (let's call it RiM for short) approach with some form of meta element.

I know I'm handwaving lots here, mostly because it's hot here and I appreciate the air, but also because I'm wondering if we need to agree on a model. If we can share a syntax, and everyone can stuff their own model on top of it, does it not fly? There is some value in the minimal amount of synergy that comes with using the some syntax, in tool support, as well as in eased cross-pollination. And it's not as if yet another syntax for RDF was going to be one too many.