First, there was SOA. Then Web 2.0. And most recently, SOA 2.0. Now, Gartner is promoting a concept it has dubbed Web-oriented architecture.“What we’re trying to do at Gartner is, if at all possible, start to clarify some of the overlapping concepts and terminology around SOA and Web 2.0 and all that good stuff,” said Nick Gall, vice president and Gartner fellow. He will present on Web-oriented architecture at the Gartner Application Integration & Web Services Summit, which begins on June 19 in San Diego.The term, Web-oriented architecture, was coined to describe a subset of SOA that fits the architecture of the Web, Gall said. The concept features attributes of SOA, in which systems are modular, distributable and shareable, plus Web attributes such as URLS to point to resources, decentralization and the use of dynamic mediation for communication between two endpoints. SOA is not necessarily synonymous with the Web, according to Gall. An SOA may feature old habits developed through the use of middleware or conventional, object-oriented architecture, he said. “What [users] end up with is an SOA that is more tightly coupled than the Web is,” said Gall. “To us, Web-oriented architecture is really just the architecture of the World Wide Web as it was originally designed,” he said. “What we’re trying to highlight is the Web in Web services,” Gall said. A Web-oriented architecture enables development of systems that have the flexibility of the Web, he said. Companies such as Amazon, Google and eBay, with their public-facing Web services, provide examples of Web-oriented architecture, Gall said. Technology Industry