Chapter 9. Future Concepts

IN THIS CHAPTER

• Computing as a Utility

• Ontologies and the Semantic Web

• Software Agents

• Peer-to-Peer Computing

• Grid Computing

• Embedded Web Services

• Pulling It All Together

It is always difficult, especially where technology is concerned, to try to predict the future. This chapter, therefore, will only try to present some interesting concepts about where the authors see the future of computing taking us, as it relates to Web services. We will cover topics such as ontologies and the Semantic Web , software agents , peer to peer computing, grid computing , and embedded Web services. Each of these topics can be the subject of a book on its own, so we clearly do not expect to cover them in detail. We will, however, try to give an indication of the relevance of these technologies to Web services. While doing so, we hope to generate enough interest in your mind to cause you to investigate these topics in more depth.