Summary

This chapter briefly reviewed some notable changing points in the history of networked computers. It laid the groundwork for Web Services through brief discussions on the Internet, Moore's Law, and the ability of technology to overcome the seeming chaos that the disruptive technologies cause. Integrated value chains, with FedEx and other shipping companies leading the charge, and disparate architectures within companies are two of the first problems for which Web Services play a critical role.

Next , the chapter discussed patterns and their contribution to the software industry. Following this brief discussion, you saw a preview of the patterns that this book introduces to the Web Service paradigm. Three of the patterns ”the Observer, Publish/Subscribe, and Data Transfer patterns ”exist in common books but are introduced in this text to illustrate their usefulness in the Web Service environment. The other 12 patterns have their roots in various business problem solutions. In all of the cases, the patterns apply to other environments than Web Services, though they are mechanisms that will aid in your own Web Service applications.

The next chapter discusses the architecture and design for a company's application that leverages Web Services. The case study is not a complete architecture and design, but rather, it is enough detail so that the application can provide context for all of the patterns documented in this book.