Jim Gray Discusses 2 vs 3 Tier Model, et al.

Url: http://channel9.msdn.com/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=5…

I was listening to Jim Gray today about about lots of interesting ideas (listen to the entire two parts for some fun).  But in the second part of the discussion, he talked about another coming of the Client-Server vs. 3-Tier war.  He seems to really like SQL Server exposing WebServices directly.  He understands the issues very well.  After he mentioned WebServices in SQL Server he directly brings up the DMZ issue with putting SQL Server out of the web.  I think he’s right here.  C/S is easier, 3 tier is usually easier to scale.  As he says, “They’re both right.”

Later in the conversation, he brings up the difference between WebServices story from Indigo and his view (RPC vs. Document) and his discussions with Don Box about them.  It’s nice to see that inside MS the right people are talking about both sides of the argument.  I still contend that WebServices are about interop, not IPC.  That might leave me in the middle of Don and Jim.

Anyone interested in the future of SQL, WebServices and how the TerraServer was built, take a gander at these talks.