URL vs. URI, What the Heck is the Difference?

Like other lost souls, I find myself looking this up on Wikipedia a few times a year for the past few years, getting frustrated then getting distracted by something more interesting.

The difference is so subtle and totally irrelevant in many contexts that it is easy to overlook. The difference between a URL (say "elll") and a URI (eye, matey) is location. URL is a more specific, but often informally misused category. It describes a location on the network, whereas URI could describe a location, name, type, or other attribute. The short of it is that you can start calling URLs URIs and it will make you sound smarter at your next tech conference or geek party, if you go to either of those. For a more cerebral explanation, check the W3.