Web 2.0's definition
includes seeing the Web as an application platform. Which means it
is in competition with Java and .Net, and with SOA, for both local
and widely distributed applications.
If the Web is going to be a platform, the skills you need to learn
to program it are the core Web 2.0 technologies such as Ajax, JSON,
Atom, Microformats and OpenID.
And Ruby. This language, that's capturing the hearts of many Web 2.0
programmers, is ideal for easing the transition from the Java
and .Net platforms to the Web platform, as I will show.
Even if you're part of a big company that is generally immune to the
latest trends, the marriage of Ruby and the Web-as-platform may be
something to prepare for. It could even displace your SOA agenda...
...