View source for minimal-vocabulary

{{DISPLAYTITLE:minimal vocabulary}}
One aspect of the [[start-simple]] [[microformats]] [[principle]], and one of several [[naming-principles]].

One way of keeping a solution simple is to minimize the vocabulary that the solution uses, and certainly of those, minimize any ''new'' vocabulary that are introduced.

== benefits ==
Minimizing the vocabulary used for properties (and values) of a microformat helps make and keep microformats easier to understand.  

Fewer terms in a vocabulary means a lower cognitive load for anyone seeking to understand that vocabulary, whether they are authors of markup, or developers of tools that parse markup, or developers of tools that take abstract representation of data in such vocabularies (e.g. in JSON) and write code to process them.

Minimizing the introduction of ''new'' vocabulary is particularly important. Doing so:
* Keeps microformats ''as a whole'' easier to understand (the smaller the total vocabulary of all microformats).
* Reduces confusion with the re-use of existing technologies.

== preserve literal vocabulary when reusing meaning ==
When reusing the schema or meaning from an existing format, when possible re-use the respective vocabulary as well.

This is particularly important to illustrate, given how often the opposite has occurred (unnecessary renaming/tweaking/abbreviating of existing terms). 

== avoid renaming when reusing ==
The renaming of terms when reusing the semantics of an existing format happens often enough to merit labeling as an <span id="avoid_the_Anglo_centric_renaming_anti_pattern">anti-pattern to be avoided</span>.

Here are some examples:

=== renaming example org ===
* '''org'''. [[hCard]] deliberately re-uses the literal <code>org</code> property name from [[vCard]].

On the other hand, the following apparently simple / intended to be helpful renamings have been found:
* '''vCard.Company''' ([http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms535130(VS.85).aspx Microsoft VCARD_NAME schema for AutoComplete functionality])- which can be optimistically interpreted as just "Company"
* '''company/name''' ([[OpenID]] [http://www.axschema.org/types/ attribute exchange] - might also be a renaming of <code>organization-name</code>, see below - how can we be sure?)
* '''organization''' (both [http://www.w3.org/2006/vcard/ An Ontology for vCards] and [http://portablecontacts.net/draft-spec.html#organization_element Portable Contacts])
* '''affiliation''' ([http://google.com/support/webmasters/bin/answer.py?answer=146646 Google contact information properties])

=== renaming example organization name ===
* '''organization-name'''. [[hCard]] also deliberately re-uses <code>organization-name</code> from [[vCard]] per the [[semantic-xhtml-design-principles]].

The unfortunate "clean-up" efforts:
* '''company/name''' ([[OpenID]] [http://www.axschema.org/types/ attribute exchange] - might also be a renaming of <code>org</code>, see above - how can we be sure?)
* '''Orgname''' ([http://www.w3.org/TR/vcard-rdf Representing vCard Objects in RDF/XML])

=== the Anglo centric renaming anti pattern ===
All of these renamings/expansions/abbreviations may seem (semi-)obvious to English-centric readers, but cause unnecessary confusion when a non-native-English developer encounters different terms that mean the same thing from vCard to these other technologies. 

To a non-native-English developer, "org" and "affiliation" are two different sequences of characters, and look as different as "bet" and "nssvyvngvba" do to a non-native-ROT13 developer.

The unnecessary English renaming of English word properties from earlier standards is an Anglo-centric (specifically English-speaking designer) design mistake that needs to be more thoroughly written up as a design anti-pattern to be avoided. 

For now we can refer to this problem as the <dfn>"'''Anglo-centric renaming anti-pattern'''"</dfn> or just <dfn>"'''renaming anti-pattern'''"</dfn> for short.

=== more examples ===
* See [[rfc-2426#other_variants|other variants of RFC2426]] for more examples of unnecessary property renamings.

== see also ==
* [[naming-principles]]
* [[start-simple]]
* [[principles]]
* [[microformats]]
* [[vCard]]
* [[hCard]]