Welcome to the fourth issue of the Distributed .NET Newsletter!

SOAP is not a Remote Procedure Call

Web Services ... that's Remote Procedure Calls (RPC) via HTTP and SOAP, right? Somehow the successor to DCOM and other remote procedure call frameworks, true? In this article, I discuss common misconceptions like these along with explaining why using only [WebMethods] deprives you of some of the most important features of XML Web Services: XML and Messaging. This article will show you how you can get back to XML and messages, and will change the way you think about Web Services. Forever.  Read here (PDF, 5 pages, 137 kb)

The Flowchart Lie

Most application architects and developers tend to implement business processes using synchronous request/response interactions. This article discusses the reasons and drawbacks of this approach, and shows why and how asynchronous business process could be implemented using asynchronous messaging.  Read here (PDF, 2 pages, 118 kb)

Architecture Briefings

The two articles presented above are the first installments of a new series of whitepapers for architects and advanced developers. This series' home is http://www.ingorammer.com/ArchitectureBriefings. You as a subscriber of this newsletter will of course always be one of the first to know whenever new whitepapers become available!

Mentoring Program

After receiving several individual inquiries, I'm currently thinking about implementing an architect and developer mentoring program as one of my commercial offerings. This will enable you - for a fixed quarterly or semi annually amount - to get unlimited access to me by email, phone, and IM to bounce off ideas and pick my mind about issues pertinent to your application and architecture. I would be really interested to hear your opinion about this program, about which services I should include, and what kind of monetary value you would associate with it. Please reply directly to me at ingo@ingorammer.com with your ideas and requirements for a mentoring program like this. Thank you!

Forward It!

If you like this newsletter, please don't hesitate to forward it along to your friends and co-workers - or just tell them to subscribe at http://www.ingorammer.com/NL. You can also help me to promote it by sharing it with your local .NET user group's mailing list. I'm sure the other member will appreciate it!

Regards from Austria,Europe