Loosely Coupled:
The Missing Pieces of Web Services

Contents and Introduction (182kb PDF)

What the Experts are Saying...

"Doug Kaye provides a deeply insightful overview of emerging Web services technology. This books clearly and compellingly stresses the design philosophies of loose coupling and service-oriented architectures as the real power behind Web services. Loosely Coupled is essential reading for anyone seeking to deploy this technology-it provides a balanced and pragmatic view of the opportunities and challenges ahead."

—John Hagel, III, Management consultant, author of Out of the Box

"Loosely Coupled is a visionary overview of Web services at a time when the IT and business press is still groping to understand its significance amidst the usual vendor hype and noise. Doug Kaye's ability to weave nuanced, objective technology overviews together with practical, leading-edge advice make this an essential reference I can highly recommend to any Web services pioneer from the software development lab to the executive suite."

—Scott Mace, IT journalist and radio/event producer

"Loosely Coupled moves beyond the bits and bytes to examine the strategic issues that organizations face when implementing web services. Whether you are a technologist or an IT manager, this book will give you the perspective you need to make sure that all of your web services bases are being covered."

—Tony Hong, XMethods

"Before embarking on any web services project, make sure you have this book within handy reach, because you'll want to refer to it again and again. It's an essential guide to the vital concepts and practical considerations to help you reap maximum business value from deploying the technology."

—Phil Wainewright, CEO, Procullux Ventures, and founder of LooselyCoupled.com

"Doug Kaye has done it again. His Strategies for Web Hosting was a grand tour of managed services. Now he's applied his talent for comprehensive analysis and clear writing to the emerging area of web services. This isn't just a book about SOAP or standards, but a complete look at everything you need to do to deliver web services as part of your corporate strategy. If you're looking for straightforward answers that cut through the hype, then look no further."

—Phil Windley, Former CIO, State of Utah

"Doug Kaye provides an eminently pragmatic approach to understanding how web services technologies are impacting today's enterprise IT projects. Reading Loosely Coupled, I learned a lot about what really works with these emerging web services software and standards."

—Brent Sleeper, The Stencil Group

"Loosely Coupled bridges the gap between the technology of Web Services and the business implications of Service orientation. Doug Kaye eloquently explains the difficult conceptual issues behind Web Services and Service-oriented architectures to both business and technical audiences."

—Jason Bloomberg, Senior Analyst, ZapThink LLC

"I'm very impressed by the range of Doug Kaye's grasp of the crucial concepts, ranging from what's important to business to the current and future technologies."

—Eric Newcomer, CTO, IONA (Author of Understanding Web Services)

"Loosely Coupled goes beyond simply echoing the hype surrounding web services, and offers invaluable guidance in the benefits to be gained and strategies for deploying web services initiatives that drive real business value."

—Mark Potts, CTO Talking Blocks

"This book gives a perspective of web services which just wasn't previously available. It will help you develop a strategic approach to bringing web services into your organization. Anyone who wants to make an informed decision in this area owes it to themselves to get this book."

—Tim McNearny, Navis