Web Services -- The IT Esperanto, or just middleware by a new name?
By Bundeep Singh Rangar, COO, Ariadne Capital

"Avatars and Personae: Digital Identities in an Era of Web Services"

Are Web Services the fantasy world of super-interoperable IT systems or are they promises to simplify our lives, streamline online purchasing and lower IT costs. The benefits to individuals and enterprises seem both rational and fantastic at the same time. But as we adopt these new services, will we enter a new 'Social Contract ' whereby we surrender our identity and security in order to be closer to online nirvana?

This spring, a panel of speakers from Microsoft, Systinet, Ecademy, New.net, Global Name Registry, an independent author and Ariadne Capital debated the virtues and vices of Web Services.  The event, attended more than a 100 delegates, took place on April 18 at London’s Royal Commonwealth Society.  It was moderated by Bundeep Singh Rangar of Ariadne Capital and author Liz Brown.

Roman Stanek, an Ariadne Capital Investor Member, who recently raised $21 million for Systinet, Inc. his firm that provides tools for companies to build Web Services, presented his notion of Web Services:

1.      Web Services interoperability is NOT free

2.      Standards are NOT deep or complete

3.      Big guys control standards (WS-I)

4.      Distributed computing is technically hard

5.      It can’t be built in one day

John Noakes of Microsoft described Web Services from a functional point of view as the ability to change you flight, hotel and car reservations from a PDA while travelling on a train.

Neither John nor Roman, who sold his previous company NetBeans, Inc. to Sun Microsystems, Inc. saw eye-to-eye on the issue open standards and open source code that are considered instrumental toward the development of Web Services.  Microsoft’s shared-source program was presented as a commercial alternative to the open source movement.

Author Liz Brown commented on the loss of privacy that might be the price to be paid for high interoperability and functionality.  Microsoft’s Passport program drew attention as it was seen at the juncture of virtual freedom and captivity. 

 

Andrew Tsai of Global Name Registry suggested the .Name URL was a means to provide a “virtual identity” for individuals through which they can control the degree of disclosure about themselves.  New.net’s Andy Duff extended the conversation of virtual identity from the individual to the collective through the provision of new and customisable Web name extensions such as .kids and .tech.

Thomas Power of Ecademy pointed that ultimately Web Services would create a new market for software vendors and systems integrators alike.

Ultimately, Web Services were seen as taking IT interoperability one step further.