Re: EGL, Java and PHP

In a manner of speaking, yes, REST is an alternative to SOAP. Though you
will find multiple definitions/interpretations for REST just like you will
with SOAP. Depending on how you implement them, REST is MUCH easier than
SOAP (though that is my opinion from doing a fair amount of both from an RPG
programmers perspective).

Aaron Bartell
http://mowyourlawn.com
http://mowyourlawn.com/blog/


On Tue, Dec 29, 2009 at 3:43 PM, Kelly Cookson <KCookson@xxxxxxxxxxxx>wrote:

I've never worked with Web services and I'm curious...is REST is an
alternative to SOAP?

Kelly

-----Original Message-----
From: web400-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:web400-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx] On
Behalf Of Aaron Bartell
Sent: Tuesday, December 29, 2009 3:36 PM
To: Web Enabling the AS400 / iSeries
Subject: Re: [WEB400] EGL, Java and PHP

I still believe the WSDL-contract is A Really Good thing even if

everything
else is a mess.

Agreed. The concept of full technical documentation of a web service is a
good thing. Now if we could just get rid of SOAP :-)

Aaron Bartell
http://mowyourlawn.com
http://mowyourlawn.com/blog/


On Tue, Dec 29, 2009 at 3:32 PM, Thorbjoern Ravn Andersen
<ravn@xxxxxxxxxx>wrote:

Aaron Bartell skrev:

How much work would it be for example to create a scalable, standards

compliant web service which serves images, pdfs and excel sheets

dynamically

from contents in a database table?

Depends on who is on the other end of the web service. If it is .NET

then

any given upgrade it stands the potential to break. Microsoft is STILL
adopting web service standards before the rest of the world agrees on

them

which causes issues for even Java programs wanting to make standardized
communication with them.

Can we agree that a proper implementation of web services is a
non-trivial matter? :)

I'd be perfectly happy with saying a web site if that is better :D

Whether something is "standard" is quite a relative term I have found.

Is

it standard according to the WS-* profiles?, standard according to the

W3C?,

standard according to a JCP/JSR?, standard according to Microsoft? Web
services are soooooo over architected it is painful to watch them
(Microsoft) "progress to make things easier". Did you catch that Sun

has

semi-formally made a move away from SOAP for many web services?
http://www.sdtimes.com/link/32959

I am aware of the REST concept as being something where you separate the
data from the action (which is part of the URL instead) as opposed to
SOAP where you basically do remote procedure calls according to the
WSDL-contract. But having

I still believe the WSDL-contract is A Really Good thing even if
everything else is a mess.

All this is still somebody trying to get Remote Procedure Calls right.
Eventually it will happen :)

--
Thorbjørn Ravn Andersen "...plus... Tubular Bells!"

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