Chris Boshuizen posted an image of a letter by John von Neumann “…lamenting that people don’t read other’s code, in 1952!”
von Neumann writes:
The subject mentioned by Stone is not an easy one. Plans to standardize and publish code of various groups have been made in the past, and they have not been very successful so far. The difficulty is that most people who have been active in this field seem to believe that it is easier to write new code than to understand an old one. This is probably exaggerated, but it is certainly true that the process of understanding a code practically involves redoing it de novo. The situation is not very unlike the one that existed in formal logics over a long period, where every new author invented a new symbolism. It took several decades until a few of these found wider acceptance, at least within limited groups. In the case of computing machine codes, the situation is even more difficult, since all formal logics refer, at least ideally, to the same substratum, whereas the machine codes frequently refer to physically different machines. (emphasis added)
To reword von Neumann slightly: whereas semantics refer to the perceptions of physically different people.
Yes?
Non-adoption of RDF or OWL isn’t a reflection on their capabilities or syntax. Rather it reflects that the vast majority of users don’t see the world as presented by RDF or OWL.
Since it is more difficult to learn a way other than your own, inertia favors whatever system you presently follow.
None of that is to deny or minimize the benefits of integrating information from various viewpoints. But a starting premise that users need to change their world views to X, is a non-starter if the goal is integration of information from different viewpoints.
My suggestion is that we start where users are today, with their languages, their means of identification, their subjects as it were. How to do that has as many answers as there are users with goals and priorities. Which will make the journey all the more interesting and enjoyable.