Web 2.0 Architectures

The "Web 2.0" phenomena has become more pervasive than ever before. It is impacting the very fabric of our society and presents opportunities for those with knowledge. The individuals who understand the trends and opportunities Web 2.0 represents are racing to cash in while Web 2.0 companies like Google see their stock pass $600 a share. While many simply describe it as an interactive "Web of participation" embracing concepts such as "trusting your users", both business and technical analysts struggle to understand it in greater detail and the opportunity it represents.

This illuminating book puts substance behind Web 2.0. More accurately, the authors of Web 2.0 Design Patterns -- Duane Nickull, Dion Hinchcliffe, and James Governor, who together have a great deal of experience with technical specifications and industry trends -- have distilled the core design patterns of Web 2.0 coupled with an abstract model and reference architecture. This Web 2.0 knowledge was distilled using several high-profile Web 2.0 companies as examples. The result is a base of knowledge that developers, business people, futurists, and entrepreneurs can understand and use as a source of ideas and inspiration.

Web 2.0 Design Patterns examines the Web 2.0 phenomena from it's humble origins to it's current state. After piecing together Web 1.0 architecture, the book researches successful Web 2.0 services such as Google AdSense, Flickr, BitTorrent, MySpace, Facebook and Wikipedia to explain why they are not just different economically and socially, but technically. Web 2.0 Design Patterns goes on to examine:

A Model for Web 2.0 -- An in-depth look at the evolution of the Client-Server model into a more elaborate model for Web 2.0. It illustrates concepts such as "servers" evolving into a services (SOA) tier to facilitate interactions between systems and humans.

A Web 2.0 Reference Architecture - A generic component view that helps decision-makers recognize the basic patterns in existing Web 2.0 applications and software that can be repurposed for other commercial ventures.

Specific patterns of Web 2.0 -- Service Oriented Architecture (SOA), Software as a Service pattern (SaaS), Participation-Collaboration Pattern, AJAX, Mashups, Rich User Experience (a.k.a. RIA), Collaborative Tagging Systems (Folksonomy), and more which can be repurposed to other businesses of technologies. In true Web 2.0 fashion, Nickull, Hinchcliffe, and Governor also present the reference model and patterns in Web 2.0 Design Patterns on their companion web site so that others in the industry can augment it and continue the discussion.

About the authors: Duane Nickull (http://technoracle.blogspot.com) worked for both the United Nations CEFACT committee and OASIS, writing and building new SOA for global integration of multiple systems. A senior technical evangelist for Adobe Systems, Inc., he has contributed to many SOA and Web Services standards and articles.

Dion Hinchcliff (http://web2.wsj2.com/) is founder and Chief Technology Officer of a premier consulting firm, which specializes in Enterprise Web 2.0, SOA, WOA, and RIA strategy and execution. He works with IT clients in the federal government and Fortune 500 companies. He is Editor-In-Chief of the Web 2.0 Journal and AjaxWorld Magazine.

James Governor (http://www.redmonk.com/jgovernor/) is an Industry Analyst with RedMonk, the first analyst firm built on open source. Providing high quality research at no cost, all of the firm's content is open and freely accessible.