Of managed code and managed SOA

Two new posts here at the ZDNet bloggers' row point to some interesting developments in the SOA space in terms of performance and infrastructure.

ZDNet blogging colleague David Berlind provides some insights into a challenge that vexes both .NET and the Java platform -- performance.  Since both are based on managed code (MSIL for .NET and Java bytecode in Java EE) that runs in containers, performance is often less than stellar. "The brute force of processors can only get you so far in overcoming the problem," David says. Additional hardware may be needed for the additional performance boost.

David spoke with Shahin Khan, chief marketing officer for Azul, and Ron Johnson, sales and service vice president for Mainsoft, about one proposed solution -- a "network attached processor with 96 cores or more designed to do nothing but turn heavy Java loads into featherweight runs." Azul is also considering building the same sort of solution for .NET, David notes. 

In another post shaping the SOA world, fellow blogger Dana Gardner weighs in on Monday's merger announcement between SOA Software and Blue Titan. The new combined company "is betting that managing heterogeneity within SOA components and platforms will necessitate a common core infrastructure," Dana said. "That core will support the SOA platforms for purposes of coordination, meta data management, common policy creation and enforcement, and 'tolerance' of multiple and overlapping SOA … well, stuff … within an enterprise-wide IT and services inventory."