Google Chrome and SOA

Google Chrome was launched a couple of days ago, and had much coverage by the media around the world, but I think the most interesting comments about Chrome has been done by SOA expert professionals, like David Linthicum and Joe McKendrick.


David Linthicum commented in his blog on InfoWorld, called Real World SOA, in two posts: Google Chrome and SOA and Google Chrome seems to be shining for SOA.

Below, are some comments from Linthicum about the Google Chrome:
"I view the browser as really the next platform, something that will allow you to access a multitude of rich Internet applications, services, and have them work and play well together, no matter if you're on a traditional desktop, phone, PDA, or a screen in your car. Chrome seems to be a much larger leap in that direction, built from the ground up to deal with Internet-delivered applications and Web services, abstracting you away from the native operating system.

So, what does this have to do with SOA? Everything. SOA, at its essence, is the use of services as a way to deal with architecture. We expose services that we have been dealing with for years (legacy), we create new services, and we leverage services in the cloud that we neither own nor host. Then, we're able to create business solutions by mixing and matching services into processes and/or applications, simply put.

Thus, having a browser that is built for the use of services, Internet delivered or internal, using better operating and security mechanisms, could revolutionize the way we look at SOA.

I've always said that most SOA going on out there is through the mixing and matching of external Web-delivered services externalized through mashups, really as a way to prove the concept and to sell SOA internally. Now we have a better platform (browser) to do that.

In other words, the presence of Chrome will drive much SOA in the short term; it looks like a much better tool for the job."

In the second post, Linthicum talks about the comments in his previous post and said: "Just to be clear. Chrome is not a savior for SOA/WOA. Its value is that it considers the use of Web delivered applications, and Web-delivered services, within the architecture of the browser. It's not an afterthought. This is a huge shift in thinking, and something that is desperately needed as we drive toward the use of services for applications and composites where the browser plays a key role. In essence, Chrome will become a valuable piece of the architectural puzzle, perhaps a missing piece."


Joe McKendrick commented in his blog on Zdnet, called Service Oriented, in a post called Analyst: Google Chrome ‘SOA ready’: "But to look at it from an enterprise perspective, Chrome may help lay the groundwork for a smoother path to service oriented architecture as well."

He also commented the David Linthicum's post: "Dave emphasizes that new Web-aware browsers and platforms such as Chrome help make a better case for SOA to the business. I agree, and we see the proof in the pudding with the mashup/Enterprise 2.0 phenomenon — everybody gets it right away. Chrome can only help."