A recently posted podcast on SOA and Open Source was done by Dana Gardner over on ZDnet. Note, this was sponsored by IONA Technologies:
IONA broadens open source approach to SOA with Celtrix Enterprise initiative
Let me quote the accompanying blog:
IONA Technologies on Monday introduced a broader Apache-based set of open source SOA initiatives with the introduction of Celtix Enterprise, which expands the ESB offering to include other open source technologies including Qpid, which implements the Advance Message Queuing Protocol (AMQP) specification, and ActiveMQ, the JMS 1.1-based messaging middleware that uses AMQP. Celtix Enterprise also includes Eclipse-based tooling supporting JBI, Tomcat, and Spring.
I like the idea. Open Source has become more and more popular as the business model on software has shifted. People now tap into the open source community to help develop their software and move towards offering services to help support the software. This is different than the traditional method of in house development with the hope to make money off the sales of software. Though, alot of company that developed software really made their money providing services and support, even when they were selling the software. It is an interesting model.
Introduce a new architecture based on services and it just seems that we are moving in the same circles. SOA is about the architecture. There is alot of cost involved and managers are looking to defray the cost wherever they can. Add to this an architecture which is all about not getting locked into a particular proprietary solution, but being able to communicate between different services. It is all about being agile. Changes are occurring so rapidly, you have to be able to adapt quickly. Investing in your people help create an organization that can adapt to whatever comes tomorrow. If a company only invests in proprietary solutions, the company one day will find itself to be similar to the Titanic; unable to change course quick enough to avoid the unforeseen perils that surely will come its way.
Of course, when it comes to SOA, we have to see what Dave Linthicum has to say about OSS SOAs:
Truthfully, I don’t much about SOA, though I keep listening and reading. I do know to listen what Dave has to say, even if he doesn’t understand open source. So, keep an eye on Mule. The bottom line is that currently developers who are building SOAs are not hardcore geeks. Sorry, Dave. The less technical guys require modeling tools with features to work collaboratively in conjunction with non-technical people. Commercial companies deliver this. While there are open source solutions, there simply are not many people who can implement them. Companies, while wanting to reduce the cost of the SOA software, lack the personnel. This seems like prime ground for consulting companies. Traditional close source companies are going open source, sort of, and offering consulting and support towards this end. The open solutions are out there and are being developed ever day. It is an interesting area to keep an eye on.
