Re: [ARSCLIST] discographies

[Jon Noring <jon@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

> SteveC wrote:

> 3) Finally, discography has historically been beset with
> arguments and controversies (i.e. whether a given solo
> was, or wasn't, BG or Bix!). If nothing else, we need
> to avoid fisticuffs!

If we are talking about a discographical database, then the database
interchange format can be designed (hopefully as an XML schema) to be
"authority agnostic", and to allow multiple authorities to supply data
for most of the fields.

For example, for a given recording session where there are differences
of opinion as to personnel, we can allow multiple personnel sections,
each section's personnel is derived from a particular authority (e.g.
"Brian Rust Jazz Records").

That way, the database can reflect differences of fact and opinion
regarding discographical information, and do so in a
machine-processible way. The end-user, then, can be given the right
tools in a given application (that can process the interchange format)
to be able to see the differences of opinion and even to filter them
based upon what the user accepts as authoritative and rejects as to
what is non-authoritative.

Jon Noring