Podcast: It’s a fundamental IT question that David Linthicum asks. Is SOA working? “Most of the projects out there that are calling themselves service-oriented architecture are largely just a bunch of Web services that ultimately produce no value,” he asserts. “You don’t see too many SOAs that are actually service-oriented architectures unless you are able to take the project to a complete solution-oriented conclusion.” There are some companies moving to a full-blown SOA, however, but it takes time. Tune into Real World SOA. Gripe Line: Vista is not without dysfunctional aspects. “Nothing better epitomizes these problems — and indeed the inherent shortcomings of the way Microsoft distributes and supports Windows — than the experience of one reader with getting to Vista to work on his Averatec notebook computer,” Ed Foster kicks off An aversion to supporting Windows. For starters, the Vista Express Upgrade took what felt like forever to arrive: three and a half months after Vista’s retail release. Now, our reader’s experience gets even more ludicrous. Averatec was rather adept at the tech-support two-step, and dodged the reader even after he contacted the California Attorney General. Twice. “You have to wonder if Averatec will even be capable of helping if it ever decides it should,” Foster writes.The news beat: The Linux Foundation takes the wraps off what it calls the Linux Weather Forecast, a Web site to keep interested parties updated on the status of Linux kernel projects. Microsoft releases a bundle of security patches, nine sets in all, that fix a total of 14 bugs in its software. And VMware, with its IPO, provides a bright spot on an otherwise dreary day on Wall Street. Technology Industry