So I finally started paying much closer attention to the REST - SOAP discussion. I have a better understanding about what the REST camp is saying, especially after reading Paul Prescod's posts on the XML Protocols list, and reading some of the SOAP 1.2 spec. How this affects my project remains to be seen. My first task, knowing nothing about Web Services was to try to fit a COM object model into SOAP. Now that I've gotten that far, its time to try to move our SOAP implementation towards a more "Web Friendly" architecture. Amazon obviously took this debate seriously as well:
Amazon.com Web Services offers developers the choice of XML/HTTP or SOAP to access information in our catalog and databases. Which method should you use? Mostly, it depends on what you are the most comfortable with. There is significant industry debate over which Web Services method is the "best"; at Amazon.com, we decided to take a neutral approach and offer access via both methods.
6:57:34 AM
Last night I slept for nearly 9 hours. I feel like a new man. While I was sleeping, I missed the news about Amazon's Web Services initiative. We're finally starting to see some big and interesting SOAP services and I'm sure people's minds are spinning with the possibilities of linking up web applications into all kinds of far out ways. Having been living down in the trenches for so long I haven't had much time to ponder this, except that its very exciting to be part of it.
6:39:28 AM
