Neno/Fhat Blog

How to Turn a Semantic Network into an Undirected Network

Tue, 1 Apr 2008 12:59:44 -0600

Suppose you have the semantic network triple <i, w, j> where i and j are vertices and w is a label for the edge. This triple can be thought of as a directed labeled edge and can be diagramed as such.

The RDF Virtual Machine

Wed, 5 Mar 2008 12:36:34 -0700

Marko A. Rodriguez and Joshua Shinavier recently submitted a paper entitled “The RDF Virtual Machine” to arXiv and for peer-review.

Abstract: The Resource Description Framework (RDF) is a standard semantic network data model that is used to create machine-understandable descriptions of the world, and is the basis of the Semantic Web. This article discusses the application of RDF to the representation of computer software and virtual computing machines. The Semantic Web is posited as not only a web of data, but also as a web of programs and processes.

The article discusses both Neno/Fhat and Ripple (also see this blog entry) and presents some categories for thinking about the various aspects of Semantic Web programming languages and their respective interpreters/virtual machines. 
Some interesting uses cases for these frameworks are presented in the last part of the article. These include:

Open computing: an extension of Open Data in which algorithms, virtualized computing machines, and underlying hardware computing resources are made publicly available.
Distribute computing: in which the process is moved to the data, as opposed to the data to the process (see image above).
Reflective computing: as computational processes reside in the URI/literal address space, reflection from the API to the RVM is possible.

Where is Neno/Fhat?

Thu, 29 Nov 2007 15:02:32 -0700

The first version of Neno/Fhat was suppose to be distributed by Fall of 2007. Now its Winter of 2007. Where is Neno/Fhat?

The first implementation of Neno/Fhat has been built. The compiler has been built in Java using ANTLR 2.x and the virtual machine process has been built in Lisp specifically for the AllegroGraph 2.x triple-store. After extended discussions with many people on this matter, we realize that a “true” deployment of Neno/Fhat should 1.) have its compiler written using ANTLR 3.x and 2.) the virtual machine process should be built using the SAIL 2.x API and thus, will support all SAIL-compliant triple-stores. Furthermore, there are various language augmentations that should be made to ensure that Neno/Fhat is more compliant with the semantics of OWL. Many of these points were articulated by the peer-review referees of the article containing the introduction to Neno/Fhat.

The goal is to have something distributable to the general-public in 2008. We are also looking for collaborators to speed up this process and make this project more successful.

Neno/Fhat Article Updated

Thu, 4 Oct 2007 14:17:37 -0600

The Neno/Fhat article entitled “General-Purpose Computing on a Semantic Network Substrate” by Marko A. Rodriguez has recently received reviews and has been updated. The latest version includes:

clearer, correct use of OWL
more examples, including an example of a compiled Fhat OWL API
more discussion of the semantics of the Neno language
many of the diagrams have been updated
more concise introduction

The latest Neno/Fhat article can be downloaded from the arXiv pre-print server at this URL.

Just for fun:

owl:Thing demo:Human
{
xsd:int example(xsd:string a) {
if(a == "marko"^^xsd:string) {
return "1"^^xsd:int;
}
else {
return "2"^^xsd:int;
}
}
}

The Instantiation Process

Wed, 3 Oct 2007 09:39:25 -0600