Reply to: What is middleware?

[Robinho]

Because Google and Wiki gave vague descriptions.

[tractor]

...

Its the layer of ****wit-ness between contractor and client. Typically there can be several layers labelled Tier 1, tier2 and tier 3.

Though why anyone would prefer General instead of Google or Wiki to ask this kind of question is beyond me lol...

[ChimpMaster]

Middleware has made me a reasonable amount of money over the past 10 years

[vetran]

its the bit in the middle, key thing is AIUI that it adds value (queueing, rules etc)

So ODBC is connectivity. MQM is a queueing system so is 'Middleware'.

[Ketchup]

ORM's arent middleware. they still rely on a piece of middleware for connectivity

[stek]

WCF and an ORM are not only used for connection purposes only. For example Entity Framework 4.0 does much more than just connections

Not middleware really (10 sec Google) seems more like a framework for development rather than a translation layer for disparate methods.

[farout117]

Well that could be just ODBC, I think middleware generally does some sort of processing, rather than just a mode of connection.

I am truly waffling like a PM here!

WCF and an ORM are not only used for connection purposes only. For example Entity Framework 4.0 does much more than just connections

[stek]

I always thought "middleware" in .NET terms was something that connects the front-end to the database, could be WCF, an ORM, or even ADO.NET.

Well that could be just ODBC, I think middleware generally does some sort of processing, rather than just a mode of connection.

I am truly waffling like a PM here!

[farout117]

And if you look in IIS, the middleware bit is all the snooker balls spinning about.....

I always thought "middleware" in .NET terms was something that connects the front-end to the database, could be WCF, an ORM, or even ADO.NET.

[stek]

And if you look in IIS, the middleware bit is all the snooker balls spinning about.....

[Robinho]

My pants.

Well that's something nobody has any experience with.

[NotAllThere]

A way of making it even more difficult to find out where the point of failure is when data is sent from one system to another, but seems not to arrive.

[Pondlife]

My pants.

[Spacecadet]

What is middleware?

Crockery from Middle Earth

[Old Hack]

Anything that could sit between your application and database, a metadata handler, whatever, could be construed as middle ware. I said ADO wasn't middleware, but it could be construed as middleware, as could com, etc.