Loosely Coupled: The Missing Pieces of Web Services

This is a book of concepts and context that clearly explains what web services are and are not. If you are seeking a technical book with how to approaches this is not it. It is also not a book about architecture or low-level technical details.

I like the way Mr. Kaye divides the book into intended audiences, and the clarity he brings to a topic that is still confuses because of hype, misconception and competing vendor definitions that not surprisingly are slanted towards products.

Understanding how this book is structured and for whom each part is intended will give insight into the content and why this book is an invaluable aid to looking at web services in a clear perspective:

- all readers will benefit from reading the first ten chapters, which cover perspectives (history, definitions, critical pieces that make up web services), and concepts (history of integration, relationships between web services and objects and service oriented architectures, and other factors). Some of this material is either basic or will not be of interest and can be safely skipped. It does cover the landscape of foundation material in a thorough, highly readable manner.

- developers and managers will benefit from technologies (chapters 11-15), which cover the following factors as they specifically relate to web services: transactions, security, and deployment options. This material is an aggregation of both the author's wide and extensive industry experience, and the knowledge and experience of his clients and industry contacts. I consider these chapters to be tried and true advice from the trenches.

- managers and executives are the target audience of strategies, which are covered in five on-the-mark chapters that address project approaches, timing, and [importantly] service level agreements. External services are also covered in this part of the book. The final part of the book is an appendix that is a strategic checklist that is so thorough and comprehensive that it can be used to both scope the complexity of a web services project and as a basis for a work breakdown structure for the project itself.

From the points of view of perspective, concept, and real world advice this is one of the best resources I've discovered on web services. Added value comes from the discussions board and supporting material on the author's website (ASIN B0000A2MOK).

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