proposed redraft of DAG0005

<RemovesChairHat>

DAG0005 currently reads:

"[To develop a standard reference architecture for web services that]
provides simplicity and ease-of-use that does not impose high barriers 
to entry for users of web services"

I took an AI [1] to draft a proposal for alternate wording of
this goal that would (hopefully) capture the sense of the
discussion regarding this goal, and to whom it applies in which
context(s).

My take on the sense of the discussion was that the phrase
"users of web services" can be taken to mean many things
depending upon one's perspective.

The phrase could be taken to mean:
	- the end-users (consumers) of a web service,
	- the developers who engineer web service software,
	- or the designers of technologies that apply to web services
	that will be "using" the reference architecture to understand
	the scope of their solution space, etc.

My sense is that the goal relates to (or IMO, should relate to) the
"users" of the architecture, not of the end product of technology
that might implement the architecture.

Ease of use as a characteristic of an end-user's
experience is more likely than not the purview of the
software/tools that they use, and not a function of the
architecture.

The primary audience for the reference architecture would
seem to me to be:
	- other working groups specifying the components
	identified in the architecture,
	- engineers implementing and or using the components
	identified
	- architects and evangelists who need to understand and
	communicate the architecture to their respective audiences

Thus, I would propose the following substitute language for DAG0005:

"[To develop a standard reference architecture for web services that]
applies the "KISS" principle and is defined such that it does not
impose high barriers to entry for its intended audience"

I think that Mike's CSF analysis points DAG0005.1-4 outlined in
[1] apply. I'm not as sure about DAG0005.5's applicability to
this particular goal though.

Additionally, his suggested requirements wording might be
amended as follows:

"The W3C Web Services Reference Architecture is intended
primarily for the use of other working groups specifying the components
identified in the architecture, secondarily for developers implementing
the components.  The exposition of the reference architecture MUST be
understandable by a "typical" experienced software designer/developer.
It SHOULD specify as few components and relationships as are minimally
necessary meet the other requirements. It SHOULD simplify the task of
programmers implementing specifications it describes in an interoperable
way. It SHOULD clarify how an application programmer would use its
components to build actual applications that utilize web services."

Cheers,

Chris
[1] http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/www-ws-arch/2002Mar/0236.html

</RemovesChairHat>

Received on Wednesday, 27 March 2002 17:44:34 UTC