Think of data like a Lego set; the pieces are the data and the instructions are the structure. Right now, people can take the Lego bricks anywhere, but not the instructions. Making both portable would let everyone build their cool ideas more easily, and maybe help people feel more positive about using their data creatively, rather than running from digital traps.
Thanks for the reply. In between data-values and code-instructions lie data-schemas. We could arrange for data-values and data-schemas to be portable / taken anywhere, but the code-instructions which manipulate them will likely remain tied to specific execution platforms. Building on the pair of elements in your Lego analogy {1:bricks=data-values, 2:structures=code-instructions} perhaps we could add a third element : {3:snap-connect-patterns=data-schemas}. Anyway I like the sound of making it easier for people to build their cool ideas Lego style - a neat analogy which everyone can relate to and many will feel positive about - the toy-loving child buried in all of us tends to be geekier than the adult :)
