Letters to the Editor: Sun gives REST, SOAP choice

By SD Times News Team

November 17, 2008 —

Thanks for the article, but the headline “Sun moving away from SOAP to embrace REST” is completely misleading.

The article provides a good introduction to JAX-RS and Jersey. Jersey is the Reference Implementation of Java API for RESTful Web Services (JAX-RS, JSR 311). The debate between REST and SOAP is not new, and there are religious camps on both sides (even within Sun). Each technology has its own merits and demerits. But just because a new JSR aimed to make RESTful Web services easy in the Java platform is released, it does not mean Sun Microsystems is leaving existing technology in the trenches.

The addition of Jersey to Sun’s software portfolio makes the Web Services stack from the GlassFish community a more compelling and comprehensive offering. Jersey will soon be included as part of Metro, the Web Services stack of GlassFish. And then you can use JAX-WS (or Metro) if you like to use SOAP, or JAX-RS (or Jersey) if you prefer RESTful Web services. It’s all about offering choice to the community.

Here are some data points for JAX-WS:

• The JAX-WS 2.0 specification was released on May 11, 2006. There have been a couple of maintenance releases since then, with another one brewing.

• Parts of Metro, the implementation of JAX-WS, are currently baked into GlassFish, embeddable in the JBossWS stack, and part of Oracle WebLogic and IBM WebSphere.

• The implementation stack is mature and is used in several key customer deployments.

• JAX-WS is already included in Java SE 6 and hence is available to a much wider audience.

• As opposed to “moving away,” JAX-WS 2.2 (currently being worked on) will be included in the Java EE 6 platform, as will Jersey.

So I believe both SOAP and REST are here to stay, at least in the near future. And Sun Microsystems is committed to supporting them!

Arun Gupta
Application Platform
Sun Microsystems

Where are the URLs?
Your article on safe coding practices [“SAFECode Offers Best Practices for Secure Software”] is very interesting. Now that I know this resource exists, I’m interested in obtaining a copy. What are the URLs for the SAFECode organization and the security best practices guide?

Christopher P. Kile
Senior Software Engineer
PNC Global Investment Servicing
King of Prussia, Pa.

Editor’s note: The group’s website is at www.safecode.org. Download the guide from www.safecode.org/publications/SAFECode_Dev_Practices1108.pdf.

No 64-bit IE for Silverlight?
Regarding 64-bit OSes [“Zeichick’s Take: The cross-platform Microsoft loves Mac more than 64-bit Windows”], Vista 64-bit is very nice and fast, and hasn’t got a problem running 32-bit apps.

I guess Silverlight doesn’t support 64-bit Internet Explorer, since it’s an in-process ActiveX control and would have to be 64-bit too in order to run in an IE 64-bit process. That would mean they’d have to maintain two versions of the control, and most probably they would not be able to install both versions on a 64-bit system (for the 32-bit IE and the 64-bit IE), due to class naming conflicts.

George Birbilis
Microsoft MVP J# 2004-2008
Borland Spirit of Delphi, 2001

Lost in translation
Your article on requirements [“Lost in Translation”] was interesting indeed! I agree that the aspect of impedance mismatch between those who write requirements and those who implement them is quite large.

Have a look at easyb.org; this project aims to reduce that impedance mismatch by leveraging the customers’ and stakeholders’ own words as a means to validate a system.

Andrew Glover

Rewrite’s the best option
Regarding Andrew Binstock’s column about tools for converting Java to C [“Java to C: No mean feat”], here are other thoughts: Towerj was implemented as a “via C” compiler, but the company that made it went out of business. The problem is solved for Java ME; see windowsfordevices.com/news/NS6515658976.html. However, I believe both of those tools use C as a high-level assembler. The C code they produce is likely not maintainable.

There are so many differences between Java and C++, and so many Java features that you would have to simulate in C, that a tool that would automatically produce readable and maintainable C or C++ source code from Java would be overwhelmingly expensive.

When prospects ask for such a tool, we tell them that manual rewrite is the only feasible option.

Dmitry Leskov
Excelsior LLC
Novosibirsk, Russia

Related Search Term(s): Java, REST, security, Silverlight, SOAP, Windows, SAFECode, Sun

Share this link: http://www.sdtimes.com/link/33050

Sun gives Java a REST JAR files released today for JAX-RS, a Java API for RESTful services, marks a move away from SOAP. Dr. Marc Hadley, a senior staff engineer, says that REST is easier to work with and offers more possibilities for Web services.

Web up, SCO Down in 2007 Eleven big trends dominated 2007, including the growing clash between REST and WS-*, the disappointing showing of Windows Vista against Mac OS X, and Hewlett-Packard emerging as a dominant player in software test.

Sun releases JavaFX 1.0 for Web development Sun's platform may be Java's ticket into the RIA world, and it features the first native Java video codec. The company hopes that it will be able to supplant its two biggest competitors, Adobe Flex and Microsoft Silverlight 2.

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