Interesting development from IBM are help make SOA something both standardized and achievable:
The software landscape is filled with standards for Web services, but few exist for the more broad distributed computing models such as service-oriented architectures (SOA).
That changed today as IBM, BEA Systems, Oracle, SAP AG and others vowed to create the SOA Programming Model, which includes specifications and open technologies to make it easier for companies to create applications in an SOA (define).
SOAs, which often use Web services (define) as the method for exchanging applications, are all the rage because they allow software to communicate regardless of its different code bases. If done correctly, SOAs allow developers to reuse assets, such as code or services, to cut down on manual coding labor.
For example, a Java-based smartphone might be used to tap into information from a consumer's or employees Windows-based PC, providing the necessary interoperability and security clearance.
For consumers, Web services and SOAs might enable something as simple as ordering merchandise through their televisions. But corporate employees should be able to leverage SOAs to exchange information across disparate computing gear.
No wonder then that leading enterprise infrastructure software makers such as IBM, BEA and Oracle want to open up the SOA pipeline. To this point, the companies have created their own proprietary strategies to work with their own products.
The SOA Programming Model is a break from this closed approach.
What is it specifically? This:
SCA and SDO include: a Service Component Architecture for business services; a Java spec for implementing SCA services; a C++ specification for implementing SCA services; a Java Service Data Objects spec; and a C++ Language Service Data Objects spec.
SCA and SDO will be available royalty free, and the authors are soliciting industry feedback. Iona, Siebel Systems, Sybase and Xcalia are also founding members of the SOA Programming Model.
Read full article: IBM Devises SOA Programming Model