Latest News from Michael A. Sick

Overview and Analysis of the Department of Defense Discovery Metadata Specification (DDMS)

Wed, 01 Jun 2005 10:00:00 EDT

The Department of Defense (DoD) Discovery Metadata Specification (DDMS) describes the DOD's preferred approach for decorating data assets with metadata. By providing a common convention for metadata, the DoD is building a common system for asset discovery, search, description, consumption, and security. This article provides a summary of the DDMS's purpose, structure, and capability. Upon completion the reader should have a basic understanding of the DDMS and should know where to go to get more detail and related materials. All questions regarding this article should be directed to Michael Sick at mike@serenesoftware.com.

An Overview Of The Java WSDP 1.5

Thu, 26 May 2005 10:00:00 EDT

It can be difficult for developers, architects, and managers to keep up with new software packages and releases. This can be especially true with fast moving technologies like Web services. This article provides an overview of the main technologies that comprise the Java Web Services Developer Pack (Java WSDP). For more in-depth knowledge of the WSDP, simply download it and walk through the examples or complete the Java Web Services Tutorial. In an effort to standardize XML and Web services-related technologies, Sun Microsystems has developed implementations of popular standards and published them under the umbrella title of the WSDP. The toolkit's stated purpose is to simplify the development, testing, and deployment of secure and interoperable Web services. Version 1.5 is the latest release of the WSDP and contains many updates to existing technologies, new features, and a collection of bug fixes. This article will examine the main technologies provided in the WSDP and review their purpose and status.

How Does the DoD Use Metadata to Make its Massive Data Stores More Visible?

Tue, 26 Apr 2005 12:00:00 EDT

Dice Check

Mon, 28 Jun 2004 00:00:00 EDT

I recently completed my first WebSphere Portal v5 install/implementation for a moderately sized healthcare company. Typically, when I consider new assignments and new technologies, I perform the 'Dice Check'. The Dice Check consists of some quick and dirty research using dice.com's job posting database to determine the vitality of the software stack with which I might be working. After completing this portal work, I shared some of my experiences with one of Sun's principal engineers, who suggested I take a look at the Sun ONE Portal Server.

Service Discovery: Perspectives on the Past, Present, & Future

Mon, 18 Nov 2002 00:00:00 EST

Service discovery and identification is a critical piece of the overall Web services puzzle. Existing service architectures, such as CORBA, JINI, and ebXML, have all devoted significant effort towards making service discovery available and comprehensive. If Web services is to become a ubiquitous platform for service oriented computing, then the industry will need to create standards and products that enable sophisticated discovery, identification, and composition of Web services.

Grids, Peers, Discovery, and What's a GAIA?

Tue, 27 Aug 2002 00:00:00 EDT

This month WSJ focuses on P2P architectures and grid computing, two topics that are gaining momentum in our industry. Over the past year or so I've read many excellent articles and books on these topics. However, getting a handle on what P2P and the grid are can be a challenge as implementations advance rapidly, major technologies are converging, and more people are applying these concepts to their particular disciplines.

Nothing Lost in the Translation

Tue, 30 Jul 2002 00:00:00 EDT

Martin Fowler, of Extreme Programming fame, states: 'Any fool can write code that a computer can understand. Good programmers write code that humans can understand.

Peopleclick and HR.NET - How can Web services and .NET work for developers today?

Fri, 01 Feb 2002 00:00:00 EST

Though often spoken of as a technology of tomorrow, it's important to understand that Web services are already proving to be a key component of some of the products and projects of today. This month's article examines how Web services and .NET are becoming critical components of Peopleclick's enterprise workforce management product line. We'll also look into the evolutionary forces that have led Peopleclick to select Microsoft's .NET platform. Finally, we'll examine current Web service technologies and those being considered for future use.

Web Services @ Work:Gluing Web Servicesto Baan

Fri, 11 Jan 2002 00:00:00 EST

Web services is often spoken of as a future technology, yet it's important to understand that Web services is already proving to be a key component of the products and projects of today.In this article I examine how Web services has become an enabling piece of Epic Data's Connectware for Baan toolkit, which is designed to easily connect wireless devices and other clients to the Baan warehousing and manufacturing ERP modules. I then study the requirements and realities that led Epic Data to select Web services over competing technologies

Web Services: Building Blocks for Distributed Systems

Sat, 01 Jan 2000 00:00:00 EST

Have you ever looked at a child's toy and thought, 'I wish they had that when I was growing up?' I had that familiar feeling while reading Web Services: Building Blocks for Distributed Systems by Graham Glass. Having pored over various specifications, articles, and newsgroup archives over the past year, Web Services is the type of book that I wish I had when I first approached the topic. The book will be a help to developers, architects, and technical managers that want to become acquainted with Web services.

The Java Image Management Interface

Sun, 01 Nov 1998 00:00:00 EST

If a picture is worth a thousand words, what words do you use when the picture is in the wrong format? Not exactly a Zen koan, but a valid question whose answer is JIMI, the Java Image Management Interface from Activated Intelligence.