Web Services should be...

The QARE Value Proposition for ISVs, Development Centers and IAI Consultants

Fast (No world-wide wait):

• Builds on asynchronous messaging. (No SOAP, RMI, or other wait-for-response APIs.) This is reflected in the GUI by modeling an email client for new service requests.
• Excessive timeouts are avoided by retrying non-responsive destinations only when otherwise idle.
• Response delays are avoided through extensive use of push.

Accessible (Barrier free):

• User access is by way of a standard browser pointed at a QARE Gateway.
• Casual users can make use of a gateway on the internet.
• Employees can access a corporate gateway from the office or when traveling.
• Home users have the option of installing a gateway on their own system for fast, continuous access even when only periodically connected to the internet.
• Minimum resources are needed to offer a service--only an email account and a PC.
• The QARE gateway software is all that is needed to become a content provider. And the software is free.

Inter-connected (An open market):

• Users only logon to a QARE gateway, which then tracks user accounts and passwords. (A decentralized alternative to MS Passport.)
• Once logged in, users can transparently subscribe to any number of services using a (pushed) directory service.
• The local gateway tracks the access privileges granted by various web services. This information is then used by various plugins (WAR files) to locate available resources for dynamically created composit services.

Licenced (Supplying valued content and services):

• Each content provider maintains centralized control of all access permissions for their content/services. Access revocation takes immediate effect.
• Access privileges are fine-grained, with different privileges required for each service and/or item of content.
• Licences are granted as access privileges to a single user, with permission to delegate privileges to a limited number of other users.

Sharable (What's that URL?):

• For casual users, a QARE gateway can be added to an existing web site. Services provided by that gateway, especially services not requiring a login, can easily be shared with other casual users by way of the URL. (QARE does not currently use frames, which complicate URL sharing.)
• Remote services accessible via the QARE gateway are always identified by a URL. Given only the URL of a web service, a QARE user can easily subscribe to the service.
• When a QARE web service also offers a public gateway, the same URL can be used by both QARE users (with their own gateway) and casual users (with only a browser) to access the same services.

Universal (Partitioned networks have diminished value):

• QARE is a collection of Java Servlets packaged in WAR files, a few common JAR files, Tomcat and MySql. Adding plugins (WAR files) is actually pretty easy. QARE is Open Source and every effort has been made to make it extensible.
• The QARE network is entirely decentralized and lends itself to P2P applications. The Registration and directory service itself is a web-scalable P2P applicaton. The low cost of becoming a content provider (an email account, a PC, and free software) also encourages Peer-to-Peer developments.
• With good accessibility (nothing but a browser needed for casual users), ease of use (providing access without a login, additional access via a user's self-created account and further services by arrangement) and fine-grained licencing, QARE lends itself to B2C applications. Further, by providing users with complete control over how much information/spam they wish to receive, users are more likely to solicit additional information. (Many users being click-shy for fear of excessive unsolicited email.)
• For custom B2B applications, QARE's simple framework for distributed applications will no doubt be quite useful. Having a built-in licencing model should also prove to be very helpful in securing xtranet applications.
• Finally, the distributed and decentralized nature of the QARE network should encourage the development of open markets for large and small businesses. EMarkets often fail, either because of the intermediation of a corporate "market", or because of the high barriers of entry for the smaller trading partners.

Safe (Virus-proof):

• QARE makes a clear distinction between code (plugins) and data (XML-encoded requests and responses). There is no provision for moving code on the QARE network.
• Rather than move code or scripts, QARE uses composition as a means of supporting richly-detailed service requests. The XML-encoded requests are translated into application objects which then perform the specified request.
• QARE builds on Quick, which provides for the validation of XML document against a schema provided by the receiver. By this means, all incoming data is validated to assure that only legitimate requests/responses will be processed.