The Best Software Writing I: Selected and Introduced by Joel Spolsky
June 2005, APress

Joel selected my blog entry Starbucks does not use Two-Phase Commit for his collection of software essays.

Your Coffee Shop Does Not Use Two-Phase Commit [HTML] [PDF]
March/April 2005, IEEE Software Magazine

Asynchronous processing models can be highly efficient but are not without challenges. If the real world writes the best stories, then maybe we can learn something from Starbucks about designing successful asynchronous messaging solutions.
(on-line article only available to IEEE digital library subscribers)

(This material is presented to ensure timely dissemination of scholarly and technical work. Copyright and all rights therein are retained by authors or by other copyright holders. All persons copying this information are expected to adhere to the terms and constraints invoked by each author's copyright. In most cases, these works may not be reposted without the explicit permission of the copyright holder.)

Developing in a Service-Oriented World [PDF]
January 2005

The biggest shift triggered by SOA is not in the technologies used but in the way we think about our software. This paper explores what SOA means for developers - new architectural styles, new programming models and new tools.
(This paper originally appeared in the proceedings of the BTW 2005 Conference in Karlsruhe.)

Enterprise Integration Patterns with BizTalk Server 2004 [PDF]
July 2004

This paper demonstrates how a pattern-based design approach can help decompose an integration problem into a set of reusable patterns. Next, we map these patterns to the Microsoft BizTalk Server 2004 platform.

An Asynchronous World [HTML]
July 2003, Software Development Magazine

Online, you can get all the documentation you want on the Java Messaging Service API. But when it comes to drafting messaging architectures for distributed logic and data, it's often more interesting to look at what sits between the applications.
(free one-time registration required to access on-line article)

XML Abuse [HTML]
Dec 2002, Software Development Magazine

XML is the wonderdrug of the 21st century. Or so make you the vendors and marchitects believe. However, like any good tool it can be abused in at least five different ways. This article discusses some of the most hair-raising XML abuse I have encountered.
(Free one-time registration required to access on-line article)

Agile EAI [PDF] [HTML]
Nov 2002, with Martin Fowler

This article describes some of the benefits and challenges of implementing agile practices for EAI development. It is based on a talk that Martin and I gave at the LOMA Systems Forum last year.

Test-Driven Development in Enterprise Integration Projects [PDF]
Nov 2002

This whitepaper describes how test-driven development can benefit EAI projects. It examines the challenges of automated testing in an asynchronous messaging environment and presents tools and techniques to help improve quality and productivity on EAI projects.

Stairway to Heaven - Service Oriented Architectures [PDF] [HTML]
May 2002, Software Development Magazine

This article tries to dampen some of the hype around Web services and Service-Oriented Architectures (SOA). Web Services supporters herald the advent of the Service-Oriented Architecture which will solve our EAI-style integration pains. SOAs are an intriguing concept, but it will take a multi-phase evolution until SOAs will establish themselves as the integration architecture of choice.
(Free one-time registration required to access on-line article)