Re: [DotGNU]Defining Webservices

[Norbert Bollow]

"Gopal.V" <address@hidden> wrote:

> > The problem is with the requirement that the webservice performs
> > "a single task".
> A single task may comprise of "retrieving a text file in unix format".
> Does that answer this ?.

*Nod* So it's totally irrelevant whether it's a "single" task
(in the sense that it cannot be decomposed further into smaller
tasks), what matters for a webservice component is that whatever
task it performs is documented precisely enough that it can be
used in an automated manner with predictable results.

>       But following the successful paradigm of *nixes ( and !*nixes), a
> number of peices, which when joined with the right glue, is worth more
> than the sum of its peices, we have to find the right glue as well as
> make the peices according the glue.

Yes.

We need webservice components.  We need glue.

In addition, we need:

* A Secure Execution Environment that can run on the user's
  local machine, allowing the end user to have all execution
  happen locally if desired, so that the user's data does not
  have to be moved out to untrusted machines.  (This also
  prevents webservice providers from "locking in" users by
  gaining control of their data.)

* A (distributed) server platform that can host webservice
  components in a reliable manner (without any single point of
  failure).  This has been called "Distributed Execution
  Environment" (DEE) or "Web Operating System" (WOS).

* System administration tools that allow to maintain the whole
  WOS in an orderly manner.

Greetings, Norbert.

-- 
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Norbert Bollow, Weidlistr.18, CH-8624 Gruet   (near Zurich, Switzerland)
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