Chapter 9: The Direction of Web Services

Overview

The evolution of web services is not something that can be predicted or projected. Those who have been around this industry for even a few years know the futility in predicting the impact that specific technologies will have tomorrow, much less the evolutionary path those technologies will take.

With Web services still in its infancy, many technologies are still being developed to address the gaps and meet the needs of providers and consumers. The direction of Web services is very dependent upon these technologies. For Web services to succeed, the technologies on which they're built must be ubiquitous, robust, reliable, and accepted.

The two most prominent sources for generating new technology are standards and vendor strategies. Standards are developed by independent organizations comprising some of the most prominent experts in the field; their work gets tremendous respect, and hence, their standards are adopted in many cases. Vendors have incredible influence over the industry through both their products and their clout. Once a vendor gains prominence and acceptance, it can be difficult to convince followers to consider alternative solutions.