RE: proposed redraft of DAG0005

I like this restatement a LOT, both in terms of clarity and purpose.

-----Original Message-----
From: Christopher Ferris [mailto:chris.ferris@sun.com] 
Sent: Wednesday, March 27, 2002 4:44 PM
To: Public W/S Arch
Subject: 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 17:48:20 UTC