Talk:REST/Archive 3

Friendlier opening paragraph
I made a start to try to introduce the topic in a less techno-dense way. It probably could say more but unless I'm telling an actual lie, please don't revert or change it back to "incredibly technical". Ordinary people (eg scrum masters) might like to know what REST is. Aelfgifu (talk) 10:38, 24 August 2016 (UTC)


 * The opening paragraph starts with "... representational state transfer (REST) or RESTful is an architectural style ...". RESTful should be removed, in my opinion. "REST" and "RESTful" are not the same, the same way "art" and "artful" are not the same. At the end of the first section, RESTful is correctly defined: "To the extent that systems conform to the constraints of REST they can be called RESTful". So, again in my opinion, RESTful should be dropped from the opening line. I would have done it myself, but since I see there are people more involved than me in looking after the page, I just mention this here. 160.40.51.190 (talk) 09:44, 29 September 2016 (UTC)
 * What is the difference between REST and RESTful? There is a slight grammatical difference but the two terms are used interchangeably within the software field. Accordingly an encyclopaedia article should list both in the lead. Andy Dingley (talk) 09:50, 29 September 2016 (UTC)
 * Nigelj fixed it. Now it reads "... RESTful web services is an architectural style ...", which is grammatically correct. It might be a technical subject, but grammar is always important. Imagine saying: "Your RESTful is not standards compliant". What does it mean? Your restful API? Your restful programming? Your restful service? RESTful is an adjective. 160.40.51.190 (talk) 13:54, 29 September 2016 (UTC)

Reading the first paragraph, especially the first sentence, has real semantic problems: only by clicking the cross reference could I begin to grasp what might have been intended. The words "architectural style" are particularly at issue, as architectural style is commonly related to the original meaning of architecture as a description of a building looks and is constructed. The use of architecture for software is metaphorical and it is unclear what a style means in that context. For instance, for the word style to be meaningful in this sentence other software architectural styles should exist, and be known, and should be referenced in the paragraph to provide context. Similar semantic which-ups exist in the remainder of the paragraph where cross-references are used in a sentence construct that does not really make clear how the linked concept relates to REST. I'll do an edit and hopefully we can get that tag removed. — Preceding unsigned comment added by EduardKarelEtc (talk • contribs) 13:07, 10 January 2021 (UTC)