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W3C Architecture Domain | Web Services home

Web services provide a standard means of interoperating between different software applications, running on a variety of platforms and/or frameworks. Web services are characterized by their great interoperability and extensibility, as well as their machine-processable descriptions thanks to the use of XML. They can be combined in a loosely coupled way in order to achieve complex operations. Programs providing simple services can interact with each other in order to deliver sophisticated added-value services.

The W3C Web Services Activity is designing the infrastructure, defining the architecture and creating the core technologies for Web services. The SOAP 1.2 XML-based messaging framework became a W3C Recommendation in June 2003 and the SOAP Message Transmission Optimization Mechanism (MTOM) in January 2005.

Here is a comprehensive list of Recommendations pertaining to the W3C Web Services Activity:

XML Protocol Working Group:
SOAP Version 1.2 Part 0: Primer (Second Edition)
SOAP Version 1.2 Part 1: Messaging Framework (Second Edition)
SOAP Version 1.2 Part 2: Adjuncts (Second Edition)
SOAP Version 1.2 Specification Assertions and Test Collection (Second Edition)
XML-binary Optimized Packaging
SOAP Message Transmission Optimization Mechanism
Resource Representation SOAP Header Block
Web Services Description Working Group:
Web Services Description Language (WSDL) Version 2.0 Part 0: Primer
Web Services Description Language (WSDL) Version 2.0 Part 1: Core Language
Web Services Description Language (WSDL) Version 2.0 Part 2: Adjuncts
Web Services Addressing Working Group:
Web Services Addressing 1.0 - Core
Web Services Addressing 1.0 - SOAP Binding
Web Services Addressing 1.0 - Metadata
Semantic Annotations for WSDL Working Group:
Semantic Annotations for WSDL and XML Schema
Web Services Policy Working Group:
Web Services Policy 1.5 - Framework
Web Services Policy 1.5 - Attachment

Highlights Since the Previous Advisory Committee Meeting

Since the last Advisory Committee Meeting, no new W3C Recommendations were published. Here is the list of publications:

In November, the SOAP JMS Binding Working Group published a Last Call Working Draft of SOAP over Java Message Service 1.0. The review period ended on January 13th 2009.

Also during this period, the proposed Web Services Resource Access Working Group was approved by the Director.

Upcoming Activity Highlights

We plan to close a number of Working Groups, keeping only active groups: the Web Services Resource Access Working Group and the SOAP-JMS Binding Working Group.

The XML Schema Patterns for Databinding Working Group is expected to publish the results of its test suite for Basic and Advanced Patterns as Working Group Notes before closing.

We expect the remaining Groups to advance their work per respective charter

Summary of Activity Structure

GroupChairTeam ContactCharter
Web Services Coordination Group
(participants)
Philippe Le HégaretYves LafonChartered until 31 December 2009
SOAP-JMS Binding Working Group
(participants)
Eric JohnsonYves LafonChartered until 31 December 2010
Web Services Policy Working Group
(participants)
Paul Cotton, Christopher FerrisNoneChartered until 31 December 2008
Web Services Resource Access Working Group
(participants)
Robert FreundYves LafonChartered until 30 June 2010

This Activity Statement was prepared for the October 2008 W3C Advisory Committee Meeting (Members only) per section 5 of the W3C Process Document. Generated from group data.

Yves Lafon, Web Services Activity Lead

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