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Apache Axis C++ v1.0 (Alpha) Released
BSD Forums writes "The Apache Axis team is proud to announce the release of Apache Axis C++ v1.0 (Alpha). This implementation of a C++ SOAP engine provides a stable platform for developing Web services using C/C++ as well as a client side library for developing C/C++ client applications. New features include SOAP engine with both client and server support; partial support for both SOAP 1.1 and SOAP 1.2; WSDD based deployment with dynamic deployment tools and more. Both binary and source are available at Apache mirror sites."
CORBA, DCOM, Java RMI, .NET remoting, and similar technologies are tightly coupled and try to hide the network boundary. In contrast, the direction SOAP is headed is loose coupling with the network boundary explicit. This was all explained clearly in a talk from Don Box at the Microsoft PDC.
If A is a service that is used by B, C, ..., Z, tight coupling means that if A is changed, then it breaks B, C, ..., Z. SOAP, when used in a smart way, means looser coupling, so that A can be updated without breaking the dependent apps. Therefore, for services that could potentially be used by a large number of applications, loose coupling is an absolute necessity.
Hidden network boundaries mean that we don't plan to take the performance hit when a request must traverse a network boundary. With explicit network boundaries, the architect takes the performance hit into consideration. Requests that cross network boundaries have a large granularity, to lessen the performance impact of the network traversal.
Search for some of Don Box's writings on the web for a better analysis of the direction of SOAP vs. the old object-oriented RPCs.