The “Service Network”

I personally see both the "message" and the "protocol" as part of Service-Oriented Architectures but Jeff Schneider sees a difference. Hmmm... Can't make up my mind now but this post is worth a read. Also, if you haven't seen it, here's Jeff's paper on the "World Wide Grid". Jeff's use of the term "Grid" is consistent with the way we've been using it in our work. I agree that the "Grid" is not only about bringing super-computers together or another flavour of SETI@Home; instead, the Grid is about interconnecting organisations, creating distributed applications that span the globe, enabling interconnected devices that utilise those applications, etc.

4 responses to “The “Service Network””

  1. I don’t disagree entirely, but the Web is not just about user2computer interaction, nor is it just about HTML. You can use HTTP to exchange any media type. However, I have argued that what the Web lacks, that Web services is trying to provide, is a means by which you can describe a service endpoint so that software can be written (or generated!) to interact with that endpoint.
  2. ROFL! I can actually beat MarkB to the punchline! So, before he says it: We already have a distributed application that spans the globe and enables interconnected devices that utilize applications, etc. It’s called the Web. I just *had* to say that:-)
  3. 🙂 I was sooooo expecting this. I personally see the Web as a particular type of a distributed application that enables the distribution of information for the consumtion of users; it’s all about user-to-computer interactions. Do you see HTML as being used for organisation-to-organisation interactions? Will HTML be used as the means to interconnect devices and applications? The Web is not just HTTP. The Web has been successful because of HTML. In order to build other types of internet-scale applications we need something more than HTML 🙂 No?
  4. Cool. I’ll go with that. We are in agreement 🙂 May I add, however, that Web Services enable the definition of message exchange patterns from which distributed applications could be written.