Rating: 
Summary: Nice high level Web Services over view
Review: I'm buying web services books like mad it seems. This book is nicely written, OK authority and accuracy (given the 2 book or so
book back ground I have so far) but ZERO code. Not one line of java, C++
or fortran. No mention of real frameworks (besides .Net by name only).How can a book be titled Understanding (any thing) and have no real
working examples, deployable components, downloadable web services based on some framework. Forget this book unless you're looking for a very high level understanding of the associated XML specs and architecture. You'll not hear about the Apache Axis project, substantive implementation details of .Net or any other framework in this book. My quest for one or two good books that cover real commercial quality design, patterns and code goes on.
Rating: 
Summary: Not worth the money if you want to know when to use web serv
Review: i'm very disappointed after reading the book. the contents were "OK" and explained technical details; however, it completely lacks why you would ever use web services, etc. so, if you are already using web services, this book might be for you. Nevertheless, if you are looking for answers what web services really are(e.g. when to use them, etc.), this book doesn't provide the answers. Save your money.
Rating:
Summary: Not worth the money if you want to know when to use web serv
Review: i'm very disappointed after reading the book. the contents were "OK" and explained technical details; however, it completely lacks why you would ever use web services, etc. so, if you are already using web services, this book might be for you. Nevertheless, if you are looking for answers what web services really are(e.g. when to use them, etc.), this book doesn't provide the answers. Save your money.
Rating: 
Summary: Highly recommended
Review: In my role as a solutions architect, I find myself having to read vast quantities of technical material, much of which is sadly lacking in substance, diluted to the point of uselessness, biased in a particular technology (or vendor) direction, or simply just poorly written. Eric Newcomer's book is a refreshing change from much of the material I have had the misfortune to read lately - it is a well-written work that provides the reader with an excellent overview of Web Services and the use of the associated technologies. The book provides a well-balanced discussion of the various key technology areas (XML, WSDL, SOAP, UDDI), and includes many useful insights into the issues associated with these technologies and where the technologies are heading, based on current industry usage and standards formulation. The history of each technology area is discussed, providing the reader with useful background information. Attention is paid to the salient points, rather than getting bogged down in unnecessary details that might be readily obtained elsewhere. To this end, it is worth noting that a most pleasing feature of this book is the inclusion of a comprehensive bibliography, allowing the reader to readily identify sources of more detailed information on particular subject areas, if required (many of the references are freely available via the Internet). As clearly stated in the introduction, the book is intended for IT professionals who need to understand Web Services, how they work, and (most importantly) what they are good for - the book is not intended to describe how to implement Web Services using a particular product offering from IONA (Eric Newcomer is the IONS CTO) or any other vendor. It is clear that Web Services are going to have a huge impact on the way we look at distributed computing, however it is also clear that the whole area of Web Services is still evolving. The book does not present Web Services as a 'silver bullet', but instead gives the reader a balanced perspective of the topic, thus providing a sound basis for informed decision making. Much of the material is presented in such a way that it can be readily understood and appreciated by less-technical IT professionals (such as managers like mine that no longer perform a technical role within the organization but want to understand what the heck I'm talking about). With regard to implementation architectures such as Microsoft.Net and J2EE, the book does not pitch one technology against another, but instead simply states the facts, allowing the reader to formulate their own (now informed) views on these and other such tools and technologies, where and how they might be used, and so on. In addition to covering the main technology areas (XML, WSDL, SOAP, UDDI) the book also discusses alternative approaches to Web Services (ebXML) and perhaps less well-known technologies such as XML-RPC and Reliable HTTP, and what role these technologies might play in future developments. It is interesting to note that the SOAP specification is still being heavily debated, while XML-RPC has been stable for close to five years with implementations existing in many different programming languages. It is possible that some of these alternative technologies will play an important role in the future of Web Services, and a discussion of these technologies is most useful. In summary, I found this book to be easy to read and highly informative. The writing style is clear and concise, and the book delivers pretty much exactly what it claims to. Wide and informed coverage is given to the subject area, and a comprehensive bibliography serves to provide a means of tracking down further information. The role of Web Services is clearly defined and a balanced discussion as to where and how they might be used is provided. Future developments in the Web Services space are considered, and the inclusion of material on less well-known technologies combines to make this book one of the most complete works on the subject to date. I would highly recommend this book to any IT or software professional interested in or needing to understand Web Services.
Rating:
Summary: This book does not give insights on the topic
Review: This book apparently is intended for high-level managers and end-users of the technology, since it gives no technical details on how these technologies are used. That would be okay, except that at the managerial or end-user level I find the book to lack insight into what the technologies do or how they do them, at any level. Rather, it is mostly gives lists of "things that happen", with no logical connection from one thing to another, with no insight as to why this makes sense. It is like memorizing dry facts in a bad high school history class: yes, I could memorize them, but why, and who cares anyway?
Rating:
Summary: Excellent overview book on the data side of XML
Review: This book is about the data side of XML as opposed to the document side. It is the first excellent (and mature) one I read so far. It gives a thorough introduction to all relevant subjects. Its chapters are often more helpful than an entire book devoted solely to the chapter topic. Especially helpful I found a lot of explanations for seemingly simple or trivial things that nobody else explained and I admittedly did not dare to ask.
Rating: 
Summary: It lives up to its name
Review: This book is very thorough. I thought that it was an excellent source of knowledge about the world of web services. So many other books are written for coding and don't give enough time to understanding the conceptual viewpoint. This would definitely be a good textbook. I would recommend it to software architects and project managers.
Rating:
Summary: It lives up to its name
Review: This book is very thorough. I thought that it was an excellent source of knowledge about the world of web services. So many other books are written for coding and don't give enough time to understanding the conceptual viewpoint. This would definitely be a good textbook. I would recommend it to software architects and project managers.
Rating:
Summary: Up-to-date, complete and accurate
Review: This is a no hype book that thoroughly covers all you need to know to develop non-proprietary, standards based web services. There is no gushing fluff about how great web services are and why it's the best thing since sliced bread. Instead you get a complete, factual overview of what web services are and are not, and the building blocks available to design, develop and implement them. All of the important pieces are covered (XML, WSDL, SOAP, and UDDI), as are the standards. Alternative pieces, such as ebXML, are also given objective treatment. If all you want to do is learn about web services without getting bogged down in an author's technical politics, get this book. It's a refreshing change from the ones that have flooded the market in recent months.
Rating:
Summary: One of the Best
Review: This is one of the best books I've found to date on web services. It sits half way between what I call the protocol books (you know: the O'Reilly sea-creature series) and strategy books such as the one I'm currently writing. What impressed me most was the book's thoroughness. Although it's clearly aimed at developers and includes a fair number of XML examples, the book contains few code listings. (When you're ready for that, you need the sea-creature books.) Instead, Understanding Web Services gives equal time to technology, standards, strategies and Eric's own perspectives on the offerings of the major vendors. (Eric is the CTO of IONA.) If you want to know what web services are all about, with an emphasis on the technologies, this is the place to start. I only wish this book had been available when I was ramping up.
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