HTTP-PATCH for Read-Write Linked Data / Rurik Thomas Greenall
Channel: SWIB
Date: 2015-12-18

Talk by Rurik Thomas Greenall, Computas AS, Norway.
Title: HTTP-PATCH for Read-Write Linked Data

Abstract: It can be argued that HTTP-PATCH is essential to read-write linked data; this being the case, there seems to be no absolute definition for how this should be implemented. In this talk, I present different alternatives for HTTP-PATCH and an implementation based on practical considerations from feature-driven development of a linked-data-based library platform at Oslo public library. Grounded in the work done at Oslo public library, I show how HTTP-PATCH can be implemented and used in everyday workflows, while considering several aspects of specifications such as LD-PATCH, RDF-PATCH, particularly in light of existing efforts such as JSON-PATCH. In the description of the implementation, I pay particular attention to the practical issues of using linked data in REST architecture, the widespread use of formats that do not support hypermedia and blank nodes. The talk views the cognitive constraints imposed by the dominance of the traditional library technology stack and how these colour development of new workflows and interfaces. Further, I provide some thoughts about how specifications like the linked-data platform can be reconciled with modern development techniques that largely shun such specifications, and how we can create read-write interfaces for linked data.

SWIB15 Conference, 23 – 25 November 2015, Hamburg, Germany.
http://swib.org/swib15
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