RE: service / agent terminology

Quick question:

Given that WSDL can describe a URI and a GET binding, if a browser sends
"out" a GET URI, is it a Web service?

Dave

> -----Original Message-----
> From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]]On
> Behalf Of Scott Vorthmann
> Sent: Thursday, February 20, 2003 2:23 PM
> To: [email protected]
> Subject: service / agent terminology
>
>
>
>
> I'm somewhat concerned about the direction of today's
> discussion of terminology.
>
> I agree with David B that there's a lot of baggage around
> "service" as a provider.  However, that baggage is not
> imposed by abstract WSDL... rather it accrues by the common
> usage of request-reply as the prevalent operation signature.
> I'd like to lose the baggage.
>
> WSDL got many things "right", in my view, and the inclusion
> of "out" and "out-in" operation signatures is one of them.
> This lets me define an entity that has a clear boundary of
> identifiable, typed communication endpoints... I'd like to
> call that entity a service, even if its only interaction with
> the outside world is periodic publishing of time and temp (on
> an appropriate transport).
>
> Providing a service need not imply reactive communication...
> services can be proactive as well.  This means that
> "provider" need not imply "responder".
>
> HTTP tunnel-vision has made a similar discussion on the
> Description group somewhat long and animated, apparently.  I
> think we have a great opportunity to define an architecture
> that extends beyond existing Web transport protocols to
> communation protocols in general.  (Will I now be skewered by
> REST proponents?)  I hope our charter does not preclude that.
>
> Scott
> --
> Scott Vorthmann                    mailto:[email protected]
> Senior Architect                     mailto:[email protected]
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>