RE: Some proposed definitions of "web service" based on the call toda y

What always happens in the end is that we say "Web services are SOAP, WSDL, and UDDI."  Meaning that the technical or formal definition always cites these specifications at some point.  None of these specifications contains any definition of the agent.  So I can't see how we can say that a formal definition of a Web service includes the agent.  Unless we define the agent?  But we don't.  No one does.  The agent can be anything.

This is like the HTML specifications defining a Web server -- they don't.  They just say that there's an agent.  I agree that the agent executes the service, but the formal definition of the service does not include the agent.

-----Original Message-----
From: Anne Thomas Manes [mailto:anne@manes.net]
Sent: Sunday, April 20, 2003 8:31 AM
To: Newcomer, Eric; Christopher B Ferris
Cc: www-ws-arch@w3.org
Subject: RE: Some proposed definitions of "web service" based on the call toda y


But it's still inappropriate to say that the Web service is only the interface. The interface doesn't perform the service. If you only have an interface and not an agent, then the service cannot be performed. You must have both for it to be a working Web service.
 
Anne

-----Original Message-----
From: www-ws-arch-request@w3.org [mailto:www-ws-arch-request@w3.org]On Behalf Of Newcomer, Eric
Sent: Sunday, April 20, 2003 7:50 AM
To: Christopher B Ferris
Cc: www-ws-arch@w3.org
Subject: RE: Some proposed definitions of "web service" based on the call toda y


Yes, the agent performs the service.  But what we are defining in Web services specifications, and therefore in the Web services architecture, is not the agent but the *description* of the service.  This is very different from CORBA for example where the "agent" was defined.

-----Original Message-----
From: Christopher B Ferris [mailto:chrisfer@us.ibm.com]
Sent: Saturday, April 19, 2003 8:59 PM
To: Newcomer, Eric
Cc: www-ws-arch@w3.org
Subject: RE: Some proposed definitions of "web service" based on the call toda y



I agree that there's nothing in the WSDL or SOAP that necessarily says 
what the agent has to be, but nonetheless, it is the agent that performs the 
service. 

Cheers, 

Christopher Ferris
Architect, Emerging e-business Industry Architecture
email: chrisfer@us.ibm.com
phone: +1 508 234 3624 

"Newcomer, Eric" <Eric.Newcomer@iona.com> wrote on 04/19/2003 03:12:45 PM:

> I still have the problem with defining the agent as the service.  The service is mapped or 
> transformed onto the agent.  Saying that a Web service is an interface to an agent, a 
> representation of an agent, or a description of an agent are all ok with me, but I can't (for 
> example) see anything in SOAP, WSDL, etc. that defines what the agent is or has to be. 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Christopher B Ferris [mailto:chrisfer@us.ibm.com]
> Sent: Friday, April 18, 2003 8:00 AM
> To: www-ws-arch@w3.org
> Subject: Re: Some proposed definitions of "web service" based on the call toda y

> 
> I would prefer that we not include references to version numbers in the definition, as these will 
> change over time. I think that the acronyms should suffice. Secondly, I thinn that qualifying SOAP by 
> calling out the XML Infoset and processing model suggests that other aspects of SOAP are either 
> not used, or not allowed, or who knows what. I think that it is sufficient to say just SOAP. Finally, since 
> we have spent some time discussing the various types of ways in which people have been using the term, 
> I felt that it is probably worthwhile that we share some of these alternate uses with the readers of the 
> WSA and give them a little more background. 
> 
> How 'bout this: 
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
> The term "Web service" has been used to refer to a wide variety of things, 
> and it is clear that not all people share the same understanding and definition. 
> For some, it has meant simply the exchange of XML over the Web, typically using HTTP. 
> For others, it has meant simply the exchange of SOAP messages, typically using HTTP, 
> or some software component that has been described using WSDL. In a sense, all of these 
> things might be considered to be "Web services", and the Working Group does not 
> preclude the use of the term to describe these sorts of things. Nevertheless, for 
> the purposes of this document, we will define the term Web services as follows: 
> 
> [Definition: Web service - an executable software agent that is identified by 
> a URI and whose interface and binding(s) are described using WSDL. Other software agents 
> interact with a Web service in a manner prescribed by its WSDL description, using SOAP.] 
> 
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> Now, this definition probably deserves some further explanation in order to say things like  
> "there's nothing 
> to preclude the use of other protocols (than SOAP) to interact with a Web service... for the 
> purposes of this document, we simply 
> aren't going to go there" and "while the definition requires the use of WSDL, it does not preclude
> the use of 
> other technologies or XML vocabularies for its description. however, for the purposes of this document, we 
> aren't going to go there..." 
> 
> Again, it might be nice to solve the equation for all possible solutions to WS = U + Xd + Xm (a 
> web service is identified 
> by a URI and described using XML and interacted with using XML messages) IMO this represents a daunting 
> task. We should be focused on defining an architecture that leverages the technologies being developed 
> in our sibling WGs in the Web Services Activity in its realization. 
> 
> Cheers, 
> 
> Christopher Ferris
> Architect, Emerging e-business Industry Architecture
> email: chrisfer@us.ibm.com
> phone: +1 508 234 3624 
> 
> www-ws-arch-request@w3.org wrote on 04/17/2003 05:36:27 PM:
> 
> > 
> > Whew, that was fun :-(  Although it got better when we stumbled on the
> > "instant straw poll in IRC" idea; we should do that more often.  I'd say
> > that in general, anyone who has the "floor" in the speaker queue may propose
> > one of those by typing the question into IRC; those not on IRC can ask to
> > have their vote recorded by someone who is.
> > 
> > Let me throw out some proposals that reflect the various opinions I heard
> > today; without my co-chair hat on, I could live with either of them:
> > 
> > ===========================================================================
> > The term "web service" is used in a wide variety of ways by different
> > people, and we will not presume that the definition used here is consistent
> > with all of them.  Nevertheless, for the purposes of this document, we will
> > use the term to mean the following: A Web service is [an interface to ?] an
> > executable software agent that is designed to be used by another software
> > agent.  A Web service is
> > identified by a URI, and MUST be [capable of being ?] formally defined in
> > WSDL 1.2.  A software agent interacts with an  Web service in the manner
> > prescribed by the formal definition, using the XML Infoset and processing
> > model defined by SOAP 1.2.
> > 
> > [Chris said some things about SOAP being general enough to describe any
> > reasonable "web service" interaction that I didn't capture very well ...
> > maybe he can refresh my memory.]
> > 
> > ==========================================================================
> > 
> > The term "web service" is used in a wide variety of ways by different
> > people, but there is a rough consensus along the following lines: A Web
> > service is an interface to an executable software agent that is designed to
> > be used by another software agent.  A Web service is identified by a URI,
> > and has a definition in a language sufficient to describe the interface to
> > developers of client agents. A software agent interacts with a Web service
> > in the manner that is consistent with the description, using standard
> > protocols. 
> > 
> > That definition of "web service" is not sufficiently precise or rigorous for
> > architectural purposes, however.  We will use a more restrictive term to
> > describe the scope of the architecture described here: "Extensible XML Web
> > Services", abbreviated XWS.   the purposes of this document, we will use the
> > term to mean the following: An XWS is an interface to an executable software
> > agent that is designed to be used by another software agent.  An XWS is
> > identified by a URI, and MUST be capable of being formally defined in WSDL
> > 1.2.  A software agent interacts with an  Web service in the manner
> > prescribed by the formal definition, using the XML Infoset and processing
> > model defined by SOAP 1.2."
> > 
> > ["XWS" is essentially a placeholder for some term ... I don't care what it
> > is, but it must specifically describe the "MUST" constraints specified by
> > the WSA.]
> > 
> > ==========================================================================
> > Of course, improved definitions are solicited.
> >