Exorcising the Evil SOA: A Necessary Step Towards Next Generation SOA
Inspired by the movie "The Exorcist", this unique session featured Thomas Erl and Anne Thomas Manes as they engaged a crowd of over 120 attendees to perform the first ever IT exorcism.
It began by inviting the Evil SOA into the room, allowing him to answer questions and state his case. He was then unceremoniously challenged as everyone began repeated chants of "I cast thee out". With each attempt, a rumbling sound (representing the collective "chanting power") became louder and louder until finally, upon the third round of chanting, the room was vibrating and the Evil SOA became noticeably weaker. Strobe lights started flashing and the lights went out as the Evil SOA finally gave up and was officially exorcised from the SOA community.
As light returned, the Good SOA danced into the room and helped answer a series of questions regarding the true nature of service-oriented architecture and service-orientation. The purging of the Evil SOA and the arrival of the Good SOA were intended to inspire everyone that a new, more constructive path has been charted for the SOA community as a whole. Something that was further emphasized by the announcement of the SOA Manifesto on the following day.
