Just thought you'd like to read the latest bs response from Drummond to the
current discussion regarding the need for AS2 certification.
Get out your shovels and sand bags, 'cause here come a real tidal wave.
It just amazes me how critical it is to have certified interoperability of the
AS2 transport medium when we've been getting along just fine for years without
certification of any of the other transport media we use in EDI, like dial-up
modem (still around!) and ftp software.
And it further amazes me that the message/content/pay-load/whatever you want to
call the information being transported that is critical to keeping the two
trading partners' business running (oh..like purchase orders and invoices for
starters) get thru just fine day-afater-day and year-after-year without any
certification whatsoever, once they're tested by the two trading partners
involved, which we've been doing successfully for years.
All we need is one responsible 800-lb gorilla to call a spade a spade and a
hoax a hoax to get the rest of the gorillas to come to the aid of their vendors
and remove this outrageous and unnecessarily costly expense that the
certification requirement adds to the cost of doing business via EDI.
And, by the way, there's nothing wrong whatsoever with the functionality of
open source software in general (linux?). It's primay limitation is that
technical support is not always available on a reliable basis either for free
or even for a price, and most businesses want to ensure the availability of
competent technical support.
Flames are welcome.
imho, ymmv,
Dave Taylor
Sysmark Information Systems, Inc.
49 Aspen Way
Rolling Hills Estates, CA 90274
(O) 800-SYSMARK (800-797-6275)
(F) 310-377-3550
(C) 310-561-5200
www.sysmarkinfo.com
----- Original Message -----
From: Drummond Group
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: Thursday, September 25, 2008 1:32 PM
Subject: News from Drummond Group Inc.
DGI UPDATE
Your Guide to Interoperability and Conformance Testing
September 2008
Commentary: Open Source Does Not Guarantee
Interoperability
The open source or free software movement has
been in existence for over 25 years. During that time, a number of open source
projects have moved beyond a mere cultural movement and into a more mainstream
class of adoption, creating software applications free for implementation and
modification. These applications included well known and widely used products
such as the Linux operating system, the Firefox browser and the Apache web
server. Open source projects for B2B applications of AS2, ebMS and XML are
also active and available.
Open source software has advantages over
commercial, off-the-shelf (COTS) software. The largest advantage is, of
course, the price. The ability to inspect and even modify the code for a
deployment's particular needs can also be of great benefit. For some
situations, open source software is a viable alternative to commercial
offerings.
However, in the area of inteorperability, open
source B2B products do not have an advantage over COTS products. For B2B
applications, interoperability with trading partners is crucial. A product
must not only work as described in its feature set, but it must also work with
the B2B products deployed by your trading partners. Message exchanges, like in
AS2, are only worthwhile and of value if both parties can properly interpret
and understand the content and instructions of the exchange.
With respect to interoperability, open source
software has the same limitations as COTS software because, just like its
commercial counterparts, it too is a software application. It takes very
little divergence in two software projects to break interoperability. Even if
a software project is believed conformant to the underlying specification, the
foundational underpinnings like security toolkits, operating systems, and
deployment environments can render it non-interoperable with other products.
B2B interaction requires a very tight agreement among partners with the
alternative being a risk to breaking interoperability. No matter how many
sets of eyes have looked over open source code, you won't get the guarantee
that other products, open source or COTS, will be interoperable.
For B2B applications, full matrix testing and
certification programs are necessary to identify and resolve all the
interoperability problems. In Drummond Group test rounds, open source products
and COTS that are built using open source code have participated and been
certified. As with all the other products, they find problems that require
debugging and code changes to be interoperable with the group. Open source
software can be a great choice, but it does not guarantee interoperability.
Comments? Send us email at [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Drummond Group Inc. (DGI), a global leader in B2B
software testing and certification, works with software vendors, industry
associations, supply chains and the standards community by conducting
interoperability and conformance testing on open standards, publishing related
strategic research and developing vertical industry strategies. Founded in
1999, DGI has tested hundreds of international software products used in
vertical industries such as automotive, consumer product goods, financial
services, government, petroleum, pharmaceutical and retail. For more
information, please visit www.drummondgroup.com or email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
In This Issue
Commentary
SAML 2.0 Webinar
Quick Links
AS2 Test Results
CSOS Audit Results
2009 Test Calendar
AS4 FAQ
Liberty SAML 2.0 October 14 Full-Matrix Webcast
Hosted by Liberty Alliance and Drummond Group,
Inc., the public webcast will highlight info on successful SAML 2.0-based
digital identity management solutions and the benefits of full matrix
interoperability testing. You will understand how to leverage products that
have passed the recent Liberty Interoperable full-matrix testing to more easily
deploy successful SAML.
More information and registration for the
one-hour event is available at http://tinyurl.com/5yz9oo.
Drummond Group Announces 2009 Test Program and
Calendar is Now Available
For software vendors interested in participating
in next year's programs, please send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] to receive your
copy.
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