RE: Web Services Definition and XML

Hi,

	I can live with web services *requiring* XML. In fact, then many of the
abstracted definitions, related to "standards based" gets replaced by XML
and thus make them more concrete.

	Couple of questions :

	1.	Do we also include some form of "binary XML" if it ever happens ? i.e.
we assume binary and text XML
	2.	Do we need to be specific about SOAP ? or Are we Ok with any XML based
transport or more precisely any transport which carries XML ?
	3.	Have the same question on the definition, description and discovery. Are
we going to say XML based D3 ?

	Then how does this sound (again based on definitions by
Steve,James,Mark,Heather, ...) ? (With Heather's rule-of-thumb/best practice
of taking a deeeeeep breath)

	"A web service is a software application identified by a URI, whose
interfaces and binding are capable of being defined, described & discovered
by XML artifacts and supports direct interactions with other software
applications using XML based messages via internet-based protocols"

Couple of observations :

1.	Definition and description could be one and the same, could be different.
2.	The D3 (Definition, description and discovery) are based on interfaces
and bindings.
	Do we need to add other attributes ?
3.	The direct interactions are XML messages over internet protocols, but
after the "first contact" other protocols (RMI,COM, messaging, ...) would be
used.


cheers


 | -----Original Message-----
 | From: www-ws-arch-request@w3.org [mailto:www-ws-arch-request@w3.org]On
 | Behalf Of David Orchard
 | Sent: Monday, March 04, 2002 3:23 PM
 | To: www-ws-arch@w3.org
 | Subject: Web Services Definition and XML
 |
 |
 | I wanted to discuss a specific aspect of Web Services definition on a
 | separate thread, particularly the use of XML.
 |
 | If one takes a look at the charter of the Web Services Architecture group
 | [1], the word XML is the 4th word in the text.  The first 7 sentences
 | mention XML 7 times.  I'm counting as one the XML, XML
 | Namespaces, and XML
 | Schema fragment.
 |
 | Further, the 2nd goal is "The set of technologies identified
 | must be based
 | on XML. ".
 | The 6th bulleted goal is "The framework proposed must support the kind of
 | extensibility actually seen on the Web: disparity of document formats and
 | protocols used to communicate, mixing of XML vocabularies using XML
 | namespaces, development of solutions in a distributed
 | environment without a
 | central authority, etc. "...
 |
 | The charter seems extremely clear that web services must be
 | based upon XML.
 |
 | Now I'm a person that leans towards sometimes re-interpreting
 | charters, but
 | I draw the line in the sand on this one.  I believe that the Web Services
 | definition MUST make explicit reference to XML.  Perhaps the
 | actual bits on
 | the wire don't have to be XML - like using SSL or GZIP - but the
 | basis for
 | the inputs and outputs of the service sure have to be XML or a well
 | understood transformation.  I also include a packaging of XML
 | into something
 | like MIME or DIME as being XML based.
 |
 | Like I argued for URIs, I will also argue for XML in our
 | definition.  This
 | is a show-stopper.
 |
 | Cheers,
 | Dave
 | [1] http://www.w3.org/2002/01/ws-arch-charter
 |
 |

Received on Monday, 4 March 2002 22:14:58 UTC