Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Development
    • Development

    App Conflicts Cleaned Up

    By
    eWEEK EDITORS
    -
    March 5, 2001
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      The convergence of two overlapping messaging protocols will be a boon for developers in their quest to get applications to interoperate over the Internet.

      At issue are two specifications, ebXML (electronic business Extensible Markup Language) and SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol), which at times have worked at cross-purposes in trying to set a standard for how messages are wrapped and packaged when sent from one place to another.

      That was solved late last month when the ebXML group, which is overseen by the Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards, or OASIS, and the e-business arm of the United Nations, agreed to scrap a portion of its work on ebXML in favor of SOAP.

      The ebXML group, which focuses on developing standards for doing business over the Internet, will incorporate and build on top of SOAP 1.1 as the underlying messaging layer. More than 100 vendors are involved with ebXML, including Sun Microsystems Inc. and IBM. IBM also joined Microsoft Corp. and others on the 1.1 version of SOAP, and a working group at the World Wide Web Consortium is looking at the messaging protocol.

      The two will remain separate, but now ebXML-developed applications and SOAP applications will understand each other; SOAP is generally considered more suitable for lightweight applications, while ebXML was designed more for heavy-duty applications. Either way, developers said the consolidation will simplify their jobs.

      “As fast as things are changing, its a headache” to keep up with competing standards, said Dennis Wellington, an independent developer in Shell Point, Fla., who has already started working with SOAP, which Wellington said appears to require less training than other emerging technologies.

      “It doesnt mean that this is guaranteed to work, but it does remove an important obstacle,” said Tim Bray, co-author of XML and CEO of Antarcti.ca Systems Inc., in Vancouver, British Columbia. “The people who are involved in ebXML have been involved in this world a long time; theyre the people who built EDI [electronic data interchange] systems. [Their decision] is a very, very powerful vote in favor of SOAP having real-world impact.”

      David Winer, CEO of UserLand Software Inc., in Millbrae, Calif., and one of the SOAP authors, said, “The smaller the number of ways of communication over the Internet between applications, the more likely it is to work.”

      Developers who worked on ebXML said that, technically, the integration was easy but that the issue went beyond technology. Microsoft had not really been involved in the ebXML effort, and some people were leery about SOAP initially because of Microsofts involvement.

      “This was obviously a political issue. It wasnt a technical one,” said Klaus-Diter Naujok, chairman of the ebXML group and chief technology officer of Netfish Technologies Inc., in Santa Clara, Calif. “[Now] if you want to do BizTalk or ebXML, the underlying infrastructure is pretty much aligned.”

      Microsoft is helping the ebXML group incorporate SOAP but hasnt committed to working with the group beyond that, said David Turner, Microsofts senior program manager for XML technology, in Redmond, Wash.

      “Certainly, this is going to make the adoption or development of ebXML implementations more straightforward,” said Turner, who expects the W3C to have a refined specification ready by fall.

      But the move to incorporate SOAP into ebXML may have been a savvy one as well. SOAP has a lot more traction than ebXML, users said.

      Larry Zucker, executive director of application development for Dollar Rent A Car Systems Inc., in Tulsa, Okla., said the company has been recoding its applications for various partners.

      “This allows us to put one thing out there that anybody can talk to,” said Zucker, whose company is releasing its first SOAP-based application for booking reservations this week. “Another big draw is [SOAP] is exceedingly simple.”

      eWEEK EDITORS
      eWeek editors publish top thought leaders and leading experts in emerging technology across a wide variety of Enterprise B2B sectors. Our focus is providing actionable information for today’s technology decision makers.
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Applications

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      Read more
      IT Management

      Intuit’s Nhung Ho on AI for the...

      James Maguire - May 13, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nhung Ho, Vice President of AI at Intuit, about adoption of AI in the small and medium-sized business market, and how...
      Read more
      Applications

      Kyndryl’s Nicolas Sekkaki on Handling AI and...

      James Maguire - November 9, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nicolas Sekkaki, Group Practice Leader for Applications, Data and AI at Kyndryl, about how companies can boost both their AI and...
      Read more
      Cloud

      IGEL CEO Jed Ayres on Edge and...

      James Maguire - June 14, 2022 0
      I spoke with Jed Ayres, CEO of IGEL, about the endpoint sector, and an open source OS for the cloud; we also spoke about...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2022 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×