[Freebase-discuss] Want to refactor real-time operating system as sub-type of operating system

[Shawn Simister]

On Thu, Dec 1, 2011 at 5:31 PM, Jeff Donner <jeffrey.donner at gmail.com>wrote:

>
> > Shawn Simister:
> > If there are no additional properties you could create an
> > Operating System Category type to just categorize them as
> > real-time, mobile, desktop, etc.
>
> Would that be ok? Are there good ways to proliferate values for that
> attribute, which are subclasses of each other? like desktop-windows,
> desktop-mac-pre_unix_transition? It looks like it could become a swamp.
>

Those examples sound they they could be spread out across several different
properties. However, if you did end up having a lot of different OS
categories, you don't have to create "subclasses" for every possible
combination; you can just allow multiple categories per OS and mix and
match however many categories apply to a given OS. Furthermore if you
really want to model a hierarchy between OS categories you can add
broader/narrower properties to the categories themselves (see also: phylogeny
pattern <http://wiki.freebase.com/wiki/Phylogeny_pattern>).

In the end, its usually best to design simple schema that fits the data
that you have right now rather than complex schema to fit edge cases that
you haven't yet encountered.


> Well, as I say I don't need this that badly, so if a solution is hard
> or goes against the grain, no need to worry about it.
>
>
I think it would be useful to organize operating systems into commonly used
categories. Its just a matter of whether this should be built as a user
type or added to the Commons.

-- 
Shawn Simister

Developer Programs Engineer
Google, San Francisco
http://freebase.com
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.freebase.com/pipermail/freebase-discuss/attachments/20111201/f4942b2c/attachment.htm>