Brugge Blog

The techno debates about one technology versus another are often hard to follow unless you’re pretty well versed in the specific technologies, and with the number of acronyms and tools expanding daily, most of the debates end up in relative obscurity. If and when you do need to understand them, the best hope you have is to find someone who can distill it for your. And among those who distill, those who can tell a story about it are the most fun.

When I had to understand what this JSON thing was in order to make a small change in a system at work, I cam across a great summary of its short history on The B-List. Not only does he put JSON in context, he also manages to include a perfect paraphrasing of one side of the debate by channeling Dr. Seuss.

So the XML-the-protocol-stack people are more than a little bit scared and defensive right now because of the REST folks. And now here are these kids with their startup companies and their weblogs who are getting data exchange and even things that kind of look like APIs out of… JavaScript arrays? The XML guys are sitting up on the mountaintop like the Grinch, with his pile of stolen presents, wondering how Christmas still managed to happen: it came without specs! It came without hype! It came without angle brackets, envelopes or types!

Now I’d like to see someone describe an ESB the way Horton would see it.