Frank – thanks for the update on the new comments system. Looking good. Cheers, David

Left by David Rossiter on July 18th, 2008

Thanks for being part of the momentum behind the improvements, David.

Best, Frank

Left by fgens on July 22nd, 2008

Sort of surprised that “cloud computing” didn’t make this list. It’s very difficult to tell whether that is a legit IT phenomena, or a marketing exercise by the big vendors.

Speaking of which – doesn’t it seem like the actual users are the constituency least interested in carrying the “SOA” torch? Enterprise IT users seem talk in terms of integration points, web services, message brokers, etc. The whole SOA “stack” concept seems like it’s being force-fed to a market that is less interested in the whole enchilada than they are in solving point integration problems with point solutions. Yet as these point problems become priorities, it’s presented as evidence that the SOA prophecy is upon us.

I guess the industry has to have terminologies and frameworks to organize complex ideas and talk about them. But this SOA evolution has had some contrived / disingenuous moments along the way.

Thanks – this was a good graphic / write up. Wish I’d seen it when it first came out, instead of a month later. But subscribed my RSS reader now.

Left by TravisV on July 30th, 2008

Good points. Two thoughts:

1. I agree, the first wave of SOA has been much more about the commercial software industry componentizing their applications “under the covers”, and gaining the benefits of that, than it has been about providing direct practical benefits for users (except for users that are so sophisticated that they are, in fact, like ISVs). I’ve suggested that the beginning of widespread user benefits from SOA would be in a “stage two”, when ISVs’ packaged software came to market with “SOA Inside” – we’re just about there for many of the ISVs. The other widespread path of adoption of SOA by end-users (again, under the covers, rather than as an explicit practice of SOA as a programming construct), would be through Software-as-a-Service, or more broadly, Everything-as-a-Service. That is, SOA (including Web Services), as a means for simplifying access and integration of services over the Internet. A.k.a., “Cloud Services”. You might want to check out my post on this edevolution of SOA adoption and benefit realization in How SOA Will Really Be Adopted: Under the Covers, and On the Net”.

2. And so, your point about “Cloud Computing” as a strategic technology (or really, an IT delivery/consumption model) is right on. Cloud Computing to me is simply the latest label for this broad phenomenon we’ve been witnessing for 10+ years: the emergence and maturing of technologies, standards, business models, greenfield user markets like BRIC, etc. that support simplified, online consumption and integration of not only IT services, but many many business and consumer services. In IDC Predictions for 2008, we called this the “Post-Disruption Marketplace“. And there is no doubt, that several of the technologies mentioned in the post above – SOA, Web Services, Virtualization – are important elements of this broader phenomenon. We’ve characterized cloud computing (and the cloud service this IT delivery model enables) as nothing short of the IT industry’s new foundation for the next 20 years.

Left by fgens on July 31st, 2008

Thanks for the info. Working in an advanced web technology surrounding makes this data especially interesting and useful.

Left by Dina Kopman on August 4th, 2008

Kudos to the Cloud Crowd for Re-Inventing the Wheel!

One thing 30 years in the IT industry has taught me is that the more things change, the more they stay the same. Another is that the only memory we seem to access is short-term. Yet another is that techno-marketeers rely on that, so they can put labels like “revolutionary” and “innovative” on platforms, products and services that are mere re-inventions of the wheel … and often poor copies at that.

A good example is all the buzz about “Cloud Computing” in general and “SaaS” (software as a service) in particular:

http://tinyurl.com/6let8x

Both terms are bogus. The only true cloud computing takes place in aircraft. What they’re actually referring to by “the cloud” is a large-scale and often remotely located and managed computing platform. We have had those since the dawn of electronic IT. IBM calls them “mainframes”:

http://tinyurl.com/5kdhcb

The only innovation offered by today’s cloud crowd is actually more of a speculation, i.e. that server farms can deliver the same solid performance as Big Iron. And even that’s not original. Anyone remember Datapoint’s ARCnet, or DEC’s VAXclusters? Whatever happened to those guys, anyway…?

And as for SaaS, selling the sizzle while keeping the steak is a marketing ploy most rightfully accredited to society’s oldest profession. Its first application in IT was (and for many still is) known as the “service bureau”. And I don’t mean the contemporary service bureau (mis)conception labelled “Service 2.0″ by a Wikipedia contributor whose historical perspective is apparently constrained to four years:

http://tinyurl.com/5fpb8e

Instead, I mean the computer service bureau industry that spawned ADAPSO (the Association of Data Processing Service Organizations) in 1960, and whose chronology comprises a notable portion of the IEEE’s “Annals of the History of Computing”:

http://tinyurl.com/5lvjdl

So … for any of you slide rule-toting, pocket-protected keypunch-card cowboys who may be just coming out of a 40-year coma, let me give you a quick IT update:

1. “Mainframe” is now “Cloud” (with concomitant ethereal substance).

2. “Terminal” is now “Web Browser” (with much cooler games, and infinitely more distractions).

3. “Service Bureau” is now “SaaS” (but app upgrades are just as painful, and custom mods equally elusive).

4. Most IT buzzwords boil down to techno-hyped BS (just as they always have).

Bruce Arnold, Web Design Miami Florida
http://www.PervasivePersuasion.com

Left by WebDesignMiami on August 26th, 2008

Wow Bruce – that’s a (mostly) serious attempt at hype-busting! I agree and disagree with you – mostly disagree.

I agree that much of the “cloud” model does borrow from earlier models (e.g., timesharing, service bureaus), and will continue to leverage technologies (e.g., virtualization) that were around in some form “back in the day”.

I disagree that this is the same old stuff. There are some critical differences, that make all the difference, including: costs (lower), provisioning (self), number and variety of available services (large and exploding – thank you web services), openness (more) & ability to integrate (greater, simpler – thank you again, web services), and accessibility (easier – thank you Internet).

Stay tuned – very soon I’ll have more to say about what this model is, and why it’s important.

Left by fgens on September 16th, 2008