The role of objects in a services-obsessed world

ABSTRACT

Every half-decade or so, the computing world is infected by a meme that energizes IT and stimulates architectural thinking but also distorts discussion and clouds judgment. A few generations ago it was objects; now it's services. As every developer has noticed, SOA is everywhere--even, perhaps, in some places it shouldn't be. What has this focus on services done to the role of objects? Some of the more extreme SOA proponents maintain that service-reuse replaces object-reuse across the board. More mainstream architects view these two models as complementary reuse strategies at different levels of scale. There are even object diehards who think that services can't come close to the flexibility and durability of objects. This panel will represent the full range of opinions. Specifically, panelists and attendees will be challenged to explore such topics as: Where is the scalability boundary between object responsibilities and service responsibilities? Do we have to conceptualize, design, or implement differently at different levels of scale? Where and how do binary components such as RMI, EJB, or CORBA fit in alongside more loosely-coupled interfaces such as web services? Panelists will also be invited to comment on whether some of the new concepts defined into SOA--orchestration and discovery, for example--can be profitably fed back into the object world.

INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  H. Information Systems
  H.4 INFORMATION SYSTEMS APPLICATIONS
      H.4.0 General

General Terms:
Design

Keywords:
SOA, reuse, software