SCA (and WUG meeting 1/31)

Hi,

  SCA (Service Component Architecture) is a new programming model being 
developed by BEA, IBM, IONA, Oracle, SAP, Siebel Systems, and 
Sybase.   What do you think of it?  Is it a possible remedy for the ills of 
J2EE and the JCP?  Or is it "J2EE all over again?"  Is it a "new CORBA"?

  Bobby Woolf has some good comments and links in his blog at 
http://www-128.ibm.com/developerworks/blogs/dw_blog_comments.jspa?blog=392&entry=102785 
.

  On the skeptical side, Marc Fleury of JBoss says "The vendors don't 
really want rapid commoditization by open source players like JBoss. They 
don't want to see that happening to SOA. ......I think what's going on is 
why were the Java bindings done for SCA, which is an attempt at a closed 
standard? Why wasn't it done through the JCP [Java Community Process]? Why 
are these folks pushing their implementations and then seeking the 
standards approval? Because they want to milk it as long as they can. It's 
about a business decision. I'm not knocking them. I would probably do the 
same if I were in their shoes."

  Apache is doing an open-source implementation in the (incubating) Tuscany 
project http://wiki.apache.org/incubator/TuscanyProposal.  The WUG has 
lined up Jeremy Boynes (who is a big name and committer in 
GlueCode/Geronimo/Tuscany) to talk on Tuscany in the 1/31 meeting (see 
below).    Greg Ackerman will also cover the IBM SCA products.

  JUG members are a large component of the WUG, and this meeting is one of 
the ones that aims to cater to their open source interests as much as to 
deal with the IBM stuff.  (Maybe it should be a JUG SIG).  Attendance is 
free and there will be pizza and drinks.

  Apart from the meeting, I'm also interested in what people think of SCA.

  Regards,

  Don

===================


Service Component Architecture and Apache Tuscany

Jeremy Boynes,  Greg Ackerman, IBM

Tues. Jan. 31, 2006
IBM Building 500 Cafeteria
Research Triangle Park, NC

Schedule

5:50 p.m. Gather, Networking
6:05 p.m. Group Business, Main Presentations
8:15 p.m. (approx.) Adjournment

Admission is free of charge.  Pre-registration is helpful but not mandatory 
(see below).  There will be pizza and drinks sponsored by Johnston, Zabor, 
McManus, Inc., market research, which is looking for focus group 
participants and paying $125 to $400 each (email fparker (AT) jzm.com for 
details),


Main Talk:  Service Component Architecture and Apache Tuscany

Jeremy Boynes,  Greg Ackerman, IBM

Along with our own Greg Ackerman, we are honored to welcome Jeremy Boynes. 
Jeremy was the principal founder of Gluecode Software and is one of the 
major architects of Tuscany.

Tuscany is the open-source Apache project that provides multiple language 
open-source implementations of the Service Component Architecture (SCA) 
specifications, and related technologies such as 
SDO.  http://wiki.apache.org/incubator/TuscanyProposal .

Its overall goal is to simplify the implementation of services and the 
composition of heterogeneous service networks by building infrastructure 
bridging the gaps between language-specific application component 
implementation technologies (e.g. Java EE, BPEL, Spring, etc) using SOA 
concepts/design approaches (e.g. web services, loosely coupled asynchronous 
messaging, ESBs, etc).

In this meeting, you will see both the open-source side of SCA, and the IBM 
product side.   And SCA is quite likely of epochal significance that 
transcends that of even Java EE.

It was in November that IBM partnered with other industry leaders BEA, 
Oracle, Sybase, Iona, SAP, and Siebel, in delivering the specification for 
Service Component Architecture.  This specification has the promise to take 
SOA to the next level, that of making it a reality and the basis upon which 
a new generation of IT systems will be built.  Service Component 
Architecture is based on the concepts of interface-based implementation of 
services and assembly of applications from services based on wiring.  It is 
the basis of a new programming model for the SOA world, which in turn 
leverages proven programming models like J2EE and others.

Greg Ackerman, a WebSphere Technical Specialist at IBM, will present this 
new architecture, along with its relation to Service Data Objects.  He will 
demonstrate how this architecture is leveraged in IBM's latest integration 
IDE, WebSphere Integration Developer Version 6.0 to build SOA 
solutions.  He will also explain how WebSphere Process Server extends and 
expands on the capabilities of the WebSphere Application Server.

Here are some interesting articles to peruse about this topic prior to the 
meeting.

http://www-128.ibm.com/developerworks/library/specification/ws-sca
http://www-128.ibm.com/developerworks/library/specification/ws-scasdosumm/
http://dev2dev.bea.com/pub/a/2005/11/sca.html
http://www.oracle.com/technology/tech/webservices/standards/sca/index.html

DeveloperWorks recently ran a good series of podcasts on SOA, Service 
Component Architecture, and related topics that relate well to this month's 
meeting topic - here's the URL:
http://www-128.ibm.com/developerworks/podcast/websphere/

We are looking forward to a lively discussion with the group along with the 
presentations.


Directions to the Meeting

Distance from Raleigh (17 miles) / Durham (8 miles) / Chapel Hill (12 miles)

 From I-40, take Exit 280 - Davis Drive. At the end of the exit ramp, take 
a right (North) onto Davis Drive. Continue straight on Davis Drive for 
about 0.5 miles. Take a right on Cornwallis road. Go about 1/2 mile, you 
will cross over railroad tracks. At the IBM gate keep to the right.

If the rightmost gate is down,  press on the intercom button and tell the 
remote guard that you are attending the WebSphere User Group meeting, and 
give him your name. He will open the gate for you. Go through gate, follow 
the road around past the first Tivoli Building, looking for signs leading 
to Building 500 or "Software Group."  Our IBM host is Greg Ackerman - they 
may ask for his name.

Go through gate, follow the road around past the first Tivoli Building, 
looking for signs leading to Building 500 or "Software Group." It should be 
the third road on the left. It can be a little tricky, so please allow some 
extra time the first time.

It can be a little tricky, so please allow some extra time the first time.

You will see a visitors' parking lot. Turn in and park, and walk to the 
Building 500 lobby.   If that parking lot is not accessible, you would need 
to continue on and park behind the building.

See http://www.rtpwug.org/sitemap.pdf  for a map for this location.

Pre-Registration

We have implemented a pre-registration system for meetings. While not 
mandatory for attendance, this will allow us to provide non-IBMers with 
pre-printed attendance badges at the door that will get you into the 
meeting more quickly.

If you are a non-IBMer and would like to pre-register, please send email to 
[email protected]  with your
name
organization (e.g. company or school)
citizenship
(only if citizenship is not U.S.) date of birth
email address

Please note that:
If you are a citizen of Hong Kong, Macao, or the PRC (and, again, not an 
IBMer) pre-registration is mandatory, since your visit must be 
pre-approved. Please contact [email protected] for details.
If you are NOT a citizen of Hong Kong, Macao, or the PRC (and, again, not 
an IBMer) pre-registration is NOT mandatory, but it is quicker: we will 
need to log the information above at the door, which might take a few minutes.
IBMers with active badges can enter the building in the usual manner, 
without pre-approval or pre-registration.

  If it's getting late, that's no problem at all.  Just show up and we will 
make out a badge at the door.