IT Architectures and Middleware: Strategies for Building Large, Integrated Systems, Second Edition

4. Web Services

This chapter completes our brief history of middleware technology by discussing Web services. Although the notion of service orientation has been around for a long time (e.g., the Open Group DTP model and Tuxedo construct applications from what are called services), the ideas have come into prominence again because of the great interest in Web services.

The notion of a service is attractive because it is familiar and easy to understand; it does not, at least on the surface, require an understanding of arcane concepts and terminology. A service requires a requester, who wants the service, and a provider, who satisfies the request. Seeking advice from a financial expert and consulting a doctor are services. Buying something requires ...