Mashups aren't just browser-based integration, but can be server-side too.  See my recap of the different mashup styles . ^{link »}

However, though mashups are technically easy to create and generate somewhat useful Web applications, it's a technology solution that may currently be ahead of a real business problem to solve.  At least on the Web that is.  Monetization and building workable business models around mashups is something of a struggle, particularly when many of the API and widgets suppliers are currently unwilling to provide much in the way of Service Level Agreements that would make it possible to safely rely on a supplier.  Some content suppliers (notably Yahoo!) even have draconian daily metering restrictions while they figure out if competing sites will sprout up and take way their users by leveraging Yahoo!'s own services.  So while mashups are a very interesting technical solution on the Web, there's still some work to do before successful businesses can be build around this model. ^{link »}

The motivations for mashups are quite different inside of organizations, where application backlogs and demand for more software that will improve collaboration and productivity are often rampant.  If this state of affairs is true, far from having too much software, most enterprises don't have enough to satisfy demand, despite the prevalence of mountains of existing enterprise systems, many of which are underutilized.  The arguments for letting users self-service themselves with end-user application tools and getting IT out of the critical path for the backlog of simpler applications are extensive and I won't belabor them long here.  ^{link »}

IBM's QEDWiki: A Compelling Example of Enterprise Mashup Tooling ^{link »}

To see exactly how end-user generated enterprise mashups work, I prepared a screencast that walks through the process of building a so-called "situational application" on-the-fly in a just a few minutes, complete with geolocation and database support. ^{link »}

tags: mar 09, blogs.zdnet.com

blogs.zdnet.com/Hinchcliffe/?p=78 · Original page