SOA revisited (again)
Radovan has just posted comments on how he believes SOA to be alive and kicking.
Alas your comments about how Systinet provides technology X and Y and how this constitutes the foundation of SOA is PRECISELY the kind of terminology-swashbuckling that I'm blogging so much against at the moment. Isn't it odd how Systinet's core products are a powerful discovery system and some sophisticated governance systems and your definition of a SOA revolves around having sophisticated discovery and management story. Whilst I couldn't agree more that discovery and governance are valuable facets of a distributed/service-oriented system, they are not the fundamental core of such a system.
You offer a definitino of SOA - "an enterprise architecture that follows SO principles". Yep, I buy that. However, a couple of problems. What is SO - my definition or someone else's (maybe it's time I write that book?) and are you proposing a single universally applicable Enterprise Architecture as has been tried oh so many times before ... and failed? I fundamentally believe that trying to define a single SOA is an exercise in futility and is doomed to failure.
You then propose adding registry and governance ... why? Are you implying that EVERY service MUST be discoverable via queries applied to a registry of some kind? I suggest that this is not necessarily the case.
Ermmmm ... would I add enterprise discovery via WS-Discovery? No. WS-Discovery is limited to the sub-net only and does not form the basis of an enterprise discovery solution. Pat's metropolis was an interesting way of comparing and contrasting the development of modern cities in relation to the development of the IT industry. I don't think even Pat would suggest one would implement such a thing! ;)
Is SO pure and abstract? Yes. Is it generally applicable to the broadest span of distributed systems? Yes - because it is abstract. Is it academic? Heck no - it is in some ways more real than SOA. Everyone claims to have a SOA and yet all I see is product linkage and spin. This applies to anyone out there - if you've got an architecture that will help solve real business problems, then show me the picture. Don't list products to me - show me the generally applicable architecture and principles which drive that architecture! If I have someone architect me a new house, I want to see detailed blueprints and clear articulation of the benefits of their plans. I don't want a shopping list of parts, planks, nails, bricks, etc.
Nice try Radovan, but no cigar! ;)
