TEAM Zarate Tarrani Notes From the Field

Run, Forrest, Run. Yes, you can cast off the braces that shackle you and run like the wind. The case study about Life Time Fitness and How to Bid Farewell to Microsoft shows that you can escape. Also worth reading: Bad Software Can "Enronize" Anyone.

Web Services. Nobody seems to agree on the exact definition of web services, but that doesn't stop it from being a hot topic. Imperial Sugar Rebuilds on Web Services is an excellent case study of how to look beyond the buzzwords and muddled definitions and harness technology to meet business requirements (which were dire in this case). Linda and I reviewed two books that look beyond the trendy definitions and go to the heart of practical use(s) of the technology:

1. Architecting Web Serivces by William L. Oellermann Jr. (Linda's 17 December 2001 review; my 13 December 2001 review)
2. Building Scalable and High-Performance Java Web Applications Using J2EE Technology by Greg Barish (Linda's 3 April 2002 review; my 4 April 2002 review)