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The Web at your service
Markus Egger argues that Web Services—driven by XML, HTTP and SOAP and accelerated by platforms like .NET—will transform how business logic and data are published and consumed over the Internet, enabling rich desktop and web applications to interoperate via simple remote method calls; however, he warns that standards, interoperability, security, state/transaction handling and service discovery remain immature, so developers should learn and experiment now despite current limitations to seize emerging business opportunities.
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COM Queued Components
Markus Egger explains COM+ Queued Components, a wrapper around Microsoft Message Queue (MSMQ) that lets developers convert synchronous COM components to asynchronous ones with minimal code changes: COM+ records calls via a recorder and later plays them to the real component, enabling scalability, disconnected operation, retries, transactions and dead‑queue handling. He covers setup, monikers, callbacks, limitations (void returns, write‑only properties) and the need to "think asynchronously" when designing reliable queued systems.
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A Preview of Visual FoxPro 7.0
In this article, Ellen Whitney previews the major enhancements in Visual FoxPro 7.0, emphasizing its strengthened integration with Microsoft's Windows DNA and .NET frameworks through features like strong typing, interface implementation, and COM+ event support. She highlights the seamless Visual Studio.Net integration, improved developer productivity via IntelliSense and enhanced editing tools, and a robust OLE DB provider. Whitney clarifies that while Visual FoxPro 7 will not target the .NET CLR, it remains a powerful, native data-centric language ideal for multi-tier business applications, offering significant improvements for both existing users and newcomers.
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Scaling Web Applications with Windows 2000 Advanced Server's Network Load Balancing
With ever-larger Web applications being built to service very large numbers of simultaneous users pounding away at Web sites, the issue of scaling applications beyond a single machine is important for Web application developers and network administrators.While hardware capabilities seem to be increasing to the point that high-powered single machines can handle tremendous loads, there will always be those apps that push beyond a single machine. In addition, for many administrators and IT planners, it's often not good enough to say that a server can handle x number of users. They want redundancy, backup and overflow support, so a Web server or hardware failure or an unexpected surge of visitors doesn't cripple the corporate Web site. In this article, Rick discusses the issues of scalability and how load balancing services can help provide redundancy and extra horsepower to large Web sites.
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Server-Side XML and XSL Merging
Data in XML format will play a significant role for the foreseeable future.Moreover, it's clear that XML and XSL will play a significant role in most, if not all, of my future applications. Why is it, however, that almost everything we read talks about merging XML+XSL on the client side, which requires IE 5 or higher browsers? In this article, Steve shows how to apply XSL transformations on the server to get around this problem.
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Implementing B2B Scenarios with Microsoft BizTalk Server 2000
In this article, Markus Egger explores the challenges of Business-To-Business (B2B) communications and presents Microsoft BizTalk Server 2000 as a promising solution. He provides an in-depth overview of BizTalk's routing services, document translation with XML schemas and mapping, and introduces BizTalk Orchestration for automating complex, long-running business processes. Using practical examples, Egger demonstrates how BizTalk Server facilitates interoperability between diverse partners and streamlines transaction workflows, highlighting its potential to make B2B integration more efficient and accessible for businesses of all sizes.
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Customers vs. Code: Negotiating Contracts
Nancy Folsom argues that contract negotiation is a critical, mutually beneficial phase in software projects. She emphasizes that negotiators must establish clear terms on scope, costs, deliverables, and risk, and that a well-structured contract helps prevent surprises and protects both parties. Folsom advises contractors to set nonnegotiable minimums, be prepared to walk away, and keep two documents—general contract and project-specific specifications. She also highlights copyright and employment-status nuances, and suggests practical tactics for initiating negotiations with prepared templates and explicit change-management language.
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Thinking About Services
Markus Egger argues that the rise of Web Services will transform software by enabling seamless, server‑driven functionality while outsourcing many control and maintenance burdens to providers. He acknowledges the promise of easier updates and better‑performing reused services, but warns of the painful transition and the erosion of direct control, drawing an analogy to how modern cars and their parts work versus early expectations. Through a candid ISP anecdote, he underscores the practical pain of relying on services and humans, yet remains hopeful that Web Services will ultimately streamline the Internet.
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Query XML from SQL Server 2000
In this article, Travis Vandersypen explains how Microsoft SQL Server 2000 introduces native XML support, allowing developers to query data directly in XML format using the `FOR XML` clause with options like AUTO, RAW, and EXPLICIT. He details the configuration steps for enabling XML support via IIS, demonstrates querying data through URL and Template queries, and shows how XSL stylesheets can transform XML output for various presentation needs. Vandersypen emphasizes that this built-in XML functionality simplifies data integration for distributed applications by eliminating the need for custom conversion routines, enabling developers to focus more on business logic.
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Dynamic Queries in Distributed Internet Applications
In this article, Beth Massi presents a comprehensive approach to building dynamic, flexible search interfaces for distributed web applications using Visual FoxPro, ADO, and XML. She details how to create and manage Search Criteria Resources (SCRs) in the middle tier to handle user-defined queries, supporting both ADO recordsets and XML streams for data exchange. By leveraging object-oriented design patterns, including Search Criteria Managers and Syntax classes, Massi demonstrates how to generate adaptable SQL queries and integrate client-side XML manipulation, enabling scalable, robust searching mechanisms that enhance user experience in heterogeneous internet environments.
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