Loosely Coupled: The Missing Pieces of Web Services

by Doug Kaye

Book Overview

Loosely Coupled is the first book to address the advanced issues of web services--currently the hottest topic in IT. While the authors of earlier web-services books approached the topic through the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1881378241
• ISBN13: 9781881378242
• Release Date: August 2003
• Publisher: RDS Press
• Length: 334 Pages
• Weight: 0.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 7.1" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

High-level & contextual w/multi audiences

This is a book of concepts and context that clearly explains what web services are and are not. If you are seeking a technical book with how to approaches this is not it. It is also not a book about architecture or low-level technical details.I like the way Mr. Kaye divides the book into intended audiences, and the clarity he brings to a topic that is still confuses because of hype, misconception and competing vendor definitions that not surprisingly are slanted towards products.Understanding how this book is structured and for whom each part is intended will give insight into the content and why this book is an invaluable aid to looking at web services in a clear perspective:- all readers will benefit from reading the first ten chapters, which cover perspectives (history, definitions, critical pieces that make up web services), and concepts (history of integration, relationships between web services and objects and service oriented architectures, and other factors). Some of this material is either basic or will not be of interest and can be safely skipped. It does cover the landscape of foundation material in a thorough, highly readable manner.- developers and managers will benefit from technologies (chapters 11-15), which cover the following factors as they specifically relate to web services: transactions, security, and deployment options. This material is an aggregation of both the author's wide and extensive industry experience, and the knowledge and experience of his clients and industry contacts. I consider these chapters to be tried and true advice from the trenches.- managers and executives are the target audience of strategies, which are covered in five on-the-mark chapters that address project approaches, timing, and [importantly] service level agreements. External services are also covered in this part of the book. The final part of the book is an appendix that is a strategic checklist that is so thorough and comprehensive that it can be used to both scope the complexity of a web services project and as a basis for a work breakdown structure for the project itself.From the points of view of perspective, concept, and real world advice this is one of the best resources I've discovered on web services. Added value comes from the discussions board and supporting material on the author's website (ASIN B0000A2MOK).

"A Reader" Missed the Point -- This is a Great Book!

The reader who wrote the January 28, 2004 review of this book apparently failed to read the book's description. "Loosely Coupled" purposely avoids any listings or references to specific protocols and standards. It's not a how-to cookbook. Instead this is a true *strategy* book in which the author explains the underlying concepts and issues of web services. Almost all other books out there are of the how-to cookbook variety. They walk through the protocols, demonstrating how to build Web Services. They're valuable, to be sure, but "Loosely Coupled" is a unique book that explains the *problems* that the Web Services are in tended to solve, and how they solve them. It's a "how-to-think" book. If you want cookbook-style code examples, indeed look elsewhere. This book won't meet your needs. But if you want to get the big picture including deployment options and project-management strategies, this really is the best book I've found so far. The author is coming at this top-down (i.e., from a management perspective), not bottom-up (from the coder's view), but it's great for readers of a wide range of technical proficiency.OTOH, as "A Reader" says, if you want the best how-to book on Web Services security, Mark O'Neill's book is the best book I've found that deals exclusively with that topic.

The Right Web Services Book

A well-written fast read, with an unusually effective balance between the business and technical perspectives. Doug Kaye has a terrific understanding of technology history, and his discussion around the evolution of Web services provides a fantastic context. If you read only one book on Web services, this is it.

Excellent for executives and IT decision makers

This book provides an excellent explanation of why companies should be looking at Web services. It approaches the topic with an honest and straightforward description of the problem space Web services are targeted to address and the characteristics/short comings of those technologies as they exist today and as they are expected to evolve. Perfect for IT decision makers who are evaluating how/where Web services fit in their corporate IT strategy.

Comprehensive yet very easy-to-read

Bounced into this book while searching for background information to bring my sales force up to speed with web services. I must admit that I was at first a little sceptical because Web service is a broad subject (and not always well understood) and I had my doubts about being able to package into a single book. But given that the outline seemed interesting, I decided to give it a chance. I was *VERY* pleasantly surprised! "Loosely-coupled" is great book: It is comprehensive yet easy to read. It provides thoughtful insight on what web services are and how they can help you address complex integration challenges.A lot of people compare Web services to RPC over XML/HTTP. Doug does a great job of describing how web services can be much more: Instead, think of web service as a loosely-coupled, asynchronous backbone where applications can exchange events and documents...It will help you challenge your assumptions regarding application integration and offer new perspectives about how to address this daunting problem.We looked at a number of "Web services" books. This one is definitely in the top three!