Myths and mumbo jumbo
Do you think you are stupid when something baffles you? Everyone else seems to be comfortable with an idea so we just nod and grunt and go along with it.
Let's share and explore some potential myths and mumbo jumbo....
Saturday 3 November 2007, 12:18 PM
SOA
Maybe I have chosen the wrong topic but I am genuinely mystified by Service Oriented Architecture. I have just read two books on the subject and yet another essay and I still don't understand it.
First, is this an example of a label that sounds seriously impressive but is totally meaningless?
Second, are the concepts contained within SOA just an aggregation of all the things we have been doing - or should have been doing? For example: customer focus, scope, terms of reference, objective breakdown, requirements definition, technology as an enabler, flexibility, collaboration. Yet SOA is billed as a new approach and the most significant technology initiative today.
Third, let the Big Boys use their marketing muscle and create whole divisions of consultants, supported by beguiling adverts. And lo! everyone thinks it's a brilliant idea and the Big Boys make a lot of money. Many people are susceptible to anything that promises salvation that they fail to use their critical thinking ability.
So, I am still asking:
What is SOA?
How is it unique?
What are the benefits?
Can anyone answer these three questions with no more than twenty words on each one?
Comments on this post
I did already but it didn't show so I will try again.
1) SOA is to Building Enterprise Applications as Lego Blocks are to building Models.
2) Enterprise Applications built on a SOA can be reassembled into new applications more easily than those that aren't.
3) Agility where changes in business processes can more quickly and easily be changed in the enterprise applications built on SOA.
As they say in Canada, eh?
SOA has been named the most confusing acronym 2007 by the The Global Language Monitor (http://www.languagemonitor.com/).
The comment the Global Language Monitor makes is that SOA is so confusing that IBM had to write a book to explain it.
I read this book and I would say that IBM have written a book to describe SOA - but they did not explain it.
Maybe the purpose of the book was to validate the appointment of all their SOA consultants.
Mike
I'd say you're correct on at least the second and third points Mike W. We do see a lot of terms creep into the tech lexicon that actually describe a simple concept that people have been doing anyway. Such terms can and should provide a common language to help people communicate.
Sadly this is not always the case. I think it can be even less the case when large marketing departments see an opportunity there.
I reckon MikeOliverAZ got it about right.
