Abstract

The Service Oriented Computing paradigm, with as its main manifestation web-service technology, holds high promises, but exploits its full potential only when third-party web-services are traded in a service market to enable effective development of net-enhanced organizations and business networks. After the introduction of software source code libraries and the rise of Software Component Markets (SCMs) since 1999, Web Service Markets (WSM) represent the third wave in the trade of reusable software components. However, very little is known about the current status, structure and trends within the WSM. We present a longitudinal study of the structure of the SCM in 1999, 2000, and 2006 and a study of the WSM in 2006. The SCM has grown into a large, polluted, and un-transparent market of around 30,000 software components, offered by 28 producers, 28 catalogues, and 8 intermediaries. Our study shows that the WSM is emerging and in the early stage of development in 2006. SCM and WSM still have a long way to become transparent and effective mechanisms for organizations to obtain powerful, re-usable, and interoperable components for business networking.

Download

Share

COinS