Bob Sutor over at c|net has a Web services wish list:
- Widespread adherence to the Web Services Interoperability Organization's Basic Profile for Web services
- More customers using Web services specifically to improve their operational efficiency
- Expanded use of Web services for better information, better order taking and faster delivery
- To hear about a merger or acquisition that took place largely because the parties concerned felt that Web services would help them rapidly integrate the businesses
I agree that adhering to the basic profile is an important step to more widespread interoperability, but that's also one of the benefits of using a Web services intermediary. The last three look more like sentinels to me; milestones that can be used to determine the success and penetration of Web services into the enterprise. I'm looking for a few things, not necessarily earth shattering, but important to me, at least:
- I'd like to see more and better understanding of what it really means to talk about Web services as a network-based operating system. What basic service out to be provided as building blocks to larger service-oriented architectures? I don't think we've thought about this enough and I'd like to see more discussion of it.
- I'd like more applications to use Web services, in even little ways. For example, I use NetNewsWire as an RSS aggregator. Wouldn't it be nice if it had a little Web server inside that supported POSTs for adding subscriptions and GETs for retrieving my OMPL-formatted subscription list? Why not a plug-in architecture that works with the Web server so that I can author my own Web-based extensions?
What are you wishing for in Web services?
