Safeguarding digital library contents and users: A note on universal unique identifiers

Abstract

To protect intellectual property, we must unambiguously identify each item needing protection. This seemingly simple requirement has attracted much attention recently, which surprises many software engineers because to them the essentials have long seemed obvious. One may question whether they have failed to understand complexities and issues that fuel the discussion. We argue that what has seemed simple is in fact truly simple. Object identifiers figure in kernel software, which takes several years to write, test, and refine. This note communicates that the topic can be separated into two portions: one which figures in discussions that need to continue, and a second portion which is sufficiently understood for building durable kernel software.