On Mon, Jan 5, 2009 at 10:04 AM, JP Morgenthal <[email protected]> wrote: > IMHO, integration is about making two disparate systems participate in > a larger systematic effort. If you have SOA, you remove this > limitation. Your services are designed to work with each other by > nature. Hence, we don't have integration, we have orchestration." > ... > Thoughts?
Your interpretation of "integration" flies in the face of common usage. Just to drive home the point, here is a link to a BMW press release that uses "integrate" an "integration" to mean components that are designed to work together from the start: http://www.bmwusa.com/standard/content/experience/newsfeed/post/2008/06/09/GINA-e28093-The-BMW-Group-Design-Philosophy.aspx . Since BMW is renowned for good design and engineering, I think its positive embrace of the term "integration" demonstrates my point particularly well. Here's one snippet from the press release. Integration of meaningful functions that are relevant to the customer. It is one of the GINA principles to challenge existing solutions in order to broaden the context, thus extending the scope of possibilities for customers. In the engine compartment of the BMW CS1 concept car, the engine cover has been replaced by flexible stretch material. A graphical display panel provides information on the particular arrangement of the service functions, integrated zip fasteners facilitate easy, hands-on access to the filler caps of the cooling water and wiper water tanks. A number of functions – cover, orientation and access to service points – are integratedinto one component in a logical and attractive manner. This deliberately minimalist approach to the deployment of components is an active contribution to the protection of resources. My point is that in common usage, "integration" is rarely pejorative and usually connotes the concept of being designed to work together from the start -- NOT retrofitting the ability to work together. Rather than expect everyone to intuit your interpretation of "integration", why not just modify it with an adjective like "ad hoc" or "post hoc" to be clear, ie "ad hoc integration". -- Nick
