| Filenames (Files) | URIs (Resources) | |
|---|---|---|
| Syntax | Character string ultimately chosen by user | |
| Intent | Identifies a literal entity as a stream of bits | Identifies a logical entity, potentially referring to many alternate literal entities |
| Scope | Local | Global |
| Structure | Rooted tree (with occasional exceptions like hard and symbolic links) | Directed graph with neither hierarchical nor cyclical constraints |
files are literal, resources are abstract
the type of a resource is orthogonal to the type of any one of its representations
mention the notions of the document, the object and the collection
mention that using the bare file system as a persistence mechanism sucks