Uniform Resource Names

ALSO CALLED: URN
DEFINITION: A URN (Uniform Resource Name) is an Internet resource with a name that, unlike a URL, has persistent significance - that is, the owner of the URN can expect that someone else (or a program) will always be able to find the resource. A frequent problem in using the Web is that Web content is sometimes moved to a new site or a new page on the same site. Since links are made using Uniform Resource Locators  … 
Definition continues below.

UNIFORM RESOURCE NAMES DEFINITION (continued): …  (URLs), they no longer work when content is moved.A URN looks something like a URL. For example, here's a hypothetical URN:urn:def://blue_laserwhere "def://" might indicate an agency or an accessible directory of all dictionaries, glossaries, and encyclopedias on the Internet and "blue laser" was the name of a term. The result of using the agency could be the "best definition," the "longest definition," or even all definitions that the agency could find of "blue laser."A comparable URL would need to specify one specific location for a definition such as:http://www.whatis.com/bluelase.htmIn this … 
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