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Message-ID: <712324ACD27BD011B17C0080AD17D38A1B5FDA@IBS_10>
From: James Snell <jmsnell@intesolv.com>
To: "'soap-dev@xml.apache.org'" <soap-dev@xml.apache.org>
Subject: RE: Potential F2F design session for 3.0?
Date: Fri, 10 Nov 2000 08:47:01 -0800
MIME-Version: 1.0
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The strong requirement, as I see it, is backwards compatibility and
continued integration with other tool sets.  I highly doubt, for example,
that MS's .NET will track XP too closely for a while -- if we abandon SOAP
then, we abandon integration with these systems, which for me, as a
developer using both Apache AND MS tools, is unacceptable.

- James

-----Original Message-----
From: Sam Ruby/Raleigh/IBM [mailto:rubys@us.ibm.com]
Sent: Thursday, November 09, 2000 11:55 PM
To: soap-dev@xml.apache.org
Subject: RE: Potential F2F design session for 3.0?


James Snell wrote:
>
> Mandate given. Seems like this project is now about
> SOAP & XP, or even more broadly, it is about
> providing a Web Services development architecture
> that is capable of supporting multiple XML-based
> protocols.  Would everyone agree?

If XP is the successor to SOAP, then there isn't a strong requirement for
the next code base to continue to support SOAP.  Don't get me wrong - It is
a darn good idea, but not a mandate - hopefully this distinction is clear?

I am a bit uncomfortable with expanding the mission as broadly as you state
(and previously as Sanjiva described) at this time.  What you describe is
where I see this project likely being in 6 to 12 months time, but I don't
believe that now is the time.  This is for two reasons.  The first is
Apache politics, and the second is the quite valid (IMHO) rationalle behind
this.

Essentially, this project is still in an "incubator" status.  Open
development isn't about documenting intentions or contributing large and
complete code bases, but about continuous and incremental improvement by a
diverse set of contributors.  Commits over the last two months have been
rather anemic.

If that comes to pass, one could image a point in time where there is an
Apache Project Management committee for Web Services at par with the
current ones for Jakarta and XML.  The members of this committee would
largely be selected from the committers on this project who have
demonstrated through their actions an understanding of what open
development is all about.

- Sam Ruby

P.S.  I'm getting really bummed that I can't make it to the design session.
Sound like a good meeting.