I'm not sure it is a contest, so much as choosing the right approach for your architecture.
SOA emerged from enterprise IT thinking,
where networks are built systematically,
not organically. So, if you have total control
over your connections, e.g., a financial funds
transfer network, WOA is unlikely to be your answer.
WOA is emerging from the Web, which is an organic
network that grows rapidly because it is based on
really simple interfaces. And, these interfaces get
a little more complex at each stage of the Web's
evolution.
So, if you are a SaaS provider and you want to be
easily dropped into your customer's environment,
you are probably better off with WOA.
Unfortunately, most enterprise SaaS vendors evolved
out of the inside-the-firewall enterprise software
world and think of the Web as little more than
the browser they deliver enterprise software through.
Whereas SaaS vendors that grew up in Web 2.0
e.g., 37Signals and Zendesk ,
just go the WOA route as naturally as waking
up in the morning.
by Joel York
at www.chaotic-flow.com
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