Day: January 15, 2003

WebServices.Org notes that the W3C Web Services Choreography Working Group has been formed:

Existing specifications for Web services describe the indivisible units of interactions. It has become clear that taking the next step in the development of Web services will require the ability to compose and describe the relationships between lower-level services. Although differing terminology is used in the industry, such as orchestration, collaboration, coordination, conversations, etc., the terms all share a common characteristic of describing linkages and usage patterns between Web services.

Does the web services world need yet another spec from yet another working group?  Are we looking at a future WS-Choreography spec?

All of this complexity is making things worse, not better.  I predict that the really simple REST-like things that Sam Ruby and others have been exploring is the future of web services.  It needs to just work without complexity.

We’re already seeing a backlash of simplicity.

Yes.  I know that sometimes you need authentication, added security, reliability contracts and all that goblygook.  Other times you just want to connect your stuff, accomplish a goal, or add functionality to something.

I just want it to work.

One more thing: The WS-* specs need to talk to each other and play nice together.  From what Clemens observes, they don’t always:

Because WS-Reliability is unaware of and not integrated with WS-Routing, it is only useful as a point to point mechanism.

Clemens Vasters weighs in on the WS-Reliability spec.  I trust his opinions on the subject after seeing the wicked cool things he did with web services in .NET.

Slashdot:

hondo77 writes “In a 7-2 decision, The Supreme Court gave Disney what they wanted. Story just broke, no details yet.” They’re talking about the Eldred case, recently argued before the Supreme Court and mentioned on Slashdot many times. The upshot is that no works produced in the United States after the 1920’s will ever go out of copyright. Opinions: Majority opinion, Stevens’ dissent, Breyer’s dissent.

From what I hear, Lessig did all that he could, though he is down on himself about the case.  I don’t think anyone out there could have done any better:

So I’ve got to go get onto a plane to go to my least favorite city (DC). My inbox is filling with kind emails from friends. Also with a few of a different flavor. It’s my nature to identify most closely with those of the different flavor. David Gossett at the law firm of Mayer Brown wrote Declan, “Larry lost Eldred, 7-2.” Yes, no matter what is said, that is how I will always view this case. The constitutional question is not even close. To have failed to get the Court to see it is my failing.

Rael notes that O’Reilly’s Emerging Technology Conference page has been updated with a list of speakers and talks.  It looks like a good mix of topics.  I don’t think that I’ll be able to afford to go (even with the student discount), but I’m there in an instant if I win the lottery or something.

Congrats to Sam Ruby who will be speaking there.  The speaker list is top shelf.

xmlhack covers recent SVG happenings at the W3C:

The W3C has released the Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) 1.1 Specification and Mobile SVG Profiles: SVG Tiny and SVG Basic as Recommendations, along with some much more exciting demos than is typical for the XML world.