Sidebar from Feb .net magizine

From: John Flynn (jflynn@bbn.com)
Date: 01/16/03

  • Next message: Jim Hendler: "Daml-S cited in new W3C services choreography working group"
    Meet the WS-I
    The Web Services Interoperability Organization (WS-I), which was cofounded
    by Microsoft Corp. and IBM, is an open industry organization chartered to
    promote Web services interoperability across platforms, operating systems,
    and programming languages. The organization works across the industry and
    standards organizations, responding to customer needs by providing guidance,
    best practices, and resources for developing Web services solutions. Oracle,
    IBM, Microsoft, BEA, Fujitsu, Intel, Accenture, Hewlett-Packard, and SAP are
    nine WS-I founding companies.
    The WS-I has said that it plans to appoint two new members to its board, one
    of which could Microsoft rival Sun Microsystems Inc. Sun finally joined WS-I
    in October 2002 and is, therefore, eligible. This could pave the way for the
    consortium to develop Web services standards that are embraced by software
    rivals.
    The WS-I was formed specifically to create, support, or promote Generic
    Protocols for Interoperable exchange of messages between services. Generic
    Protocols are independent of the specific actions messages indicate beyond
    those actions that messages need for secure, reliable, and efficient
    delivery. "Interoperable" means being suitable for and capable of being
    implemented neutrally on multiple operating systems, in multiple programming
    languages.
    The WS-I is organized into three key working groups:
    *	The Basic Web Services Profile Working Group will identify a core set of
    specifications (including XML Schema, SOAP, WSDL, and UDDI) that provide the
    foundation for Web services. It will establish conventions and
    recommendations for coordinating their use.
    *	The Sample Applications Working Group will provide sample applications of
    basic Web services that accelerate deployments. These sample apps illustrate
    best practices for implementation and will be developed in multiple
    programming languages using multiple development tools.
    *	The Test Materials and Tools Development Working Group will develop a
    suite of self-administered tests to verify conformance with the Basic Web
    Services Profile. Developers will be able to use these tools and materials
    to ensure Web services interoperate across platforms, applications, and
    programming languages.
    If you're implementing Web services, it's wise to comply with the existing
    standards-based model, which enables interoperability and a faster time to
    market. The WS-I can provide the clarity, guidance, and direction around
    usability aspects as you move into the Web services model of computing.
    To assist in ensuring the interoperability of Web services, the WS-I will
    create a suite of tools and materials initially for testing implementations
    and their conformance with "basic level" Web services standards: XML, SOAP,
    WSDL, and UDDI. These testing capabilities are important so you can ensure
    your implementations comply with the best practices use for these Web
    services specifications. Tests will be self-administered and aim at
    uncovering unconventional usage or errors in specification implementations,
    thus improving interoperability between applications and across platforms.
    
    
    John Flynn
    (703) 284-4612
    DAML Integration and Transition PM
    BBN Technologies
    


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