[uf-new] Currency Proposal (and Measurements and Geo Extension)

[Emil Thies]

Dear Andy,

>>It looks like measurement should be a new Microformat. If it is
>>successful, it would probably replace the currency Microformat.
>
>I agree with your former statement, but not the latter. There are some
>crucial differences between measurements of size, mass, time, etc., and
>amounts of money.

... my intention was not to replace the currency format by a
measurement format....

>For example, the relation between an inch and a centimetre is
>(historical shifts not withstanding) fixed; the relationship between a
>Canadian Dollar and a Pound Sterling changes minute by minute.
>
>Measurements, are, well, measured. Amounts of money are arbitrarily
>applied.
>
>The length of a metre, say, has been fixed throughout time; the real
>value (purchasing power) of a dollar or pound have changed over time,
>through inflation, deflation and devaluation.
>
>We need to determine whether these differences are significant, when
>creating the respective microformat(s).

... I think this difference is valid (therefore the currency format
needs an optional datetime property), but I also think there are
similarities like both have a number wich expresses value/amount. Both
have a kind of unit (inch, meter .... or Dollar, Euro ....) which
specify what is counted by the number. Both may have a kind of scale,
to make the representation of the number shorter.

My intention was, to link those similarities by using the same names
for those similar properties (to keep the used vocabulary limited).

My question is, does we have a kind of inheritance between
microformats (as intended by my suggestion here). There is a similar
problem with the geo, luna and mars - where you suggested the geo
extension straw-man proposal. To avoid a problem with the "old" geo
format, you could introduce, a iGeo [interstelar geo] / eGeo (extended
Geo), which is oo-derived from geo and ad a new property, like planet
or better iObject (interstelar Object - not everything out there is a
planet).

What do you think of such an inheritance at microformats (Geo<-iGeo;
Measurement<-Currency)?

Kind Regards,
Emil