The Web as a Data Integration and Machine-Oriented Publishing Layer

This is what I was talking about when I wrote:

"one of the most attractive things about the Web is the ability to use HTTP as a simple transport protocol abstraction.  [...]  with this additional transport abstraction in place, you can build another application layer protocol on top of this and use that as your API for distributed operations.  That is where the rubber meets the road in modern large scale systems, and that is where the action is taking place in the current debate about SOA, REST, Web Services, and distributed architectures.  Furthermore, the foundation for this style is built directly into HTTP 1.1."

Bill de hÓra states it better in his "Confederacy" post:

"the Web is not just the presentation tier anymore; it's becoming a data integration and machine-oriented publishing layer.  The presentation layer is being pushed down to the client machine in the form of AJAX, XUL and Flex."

A new web/middleware layer has been forming, and this is the engine that is driving Web 2.0 and creating a new level of integration and interoperability.