IPTV中间件的架构日趋清晰

尽管是在休假中，我对流媒体网上对中间件的讨论一直十分关注。回到北京，应该“提笔”写一些想法了。

对于中间件的概念，专家们从不同角度说了很多。杨昆的判断是有理由的。IPTV中间件到底是什么，至今仍然是各说各话。如果是这样，中间件的必要性显然存在问题。

我一直觉得难以理解的是，中间件这样一个在IT界广泛使用多年的概念，为什么在电信界得到这样的结果？甚至那些互联网软件的开发商，也在中间件和协议的问题上绕起了弯子。

显然，问题出在中间件的概念及其分类上，因为IPTV中间件可以以不同的形态实现多种的功能。不同公司的IPTV中间件产品通过不同的形态实现不同的功能。这就是问题的核心。

其实这个问题容易解决。用中间件到Wikipedia上检索一下，就可以对中间件的概念和形态得到相当令人满意的结果。（我在以前的Blog中曾经引用过）现在把原文拷贝如下：

Middleware is computer software that connects software components or applications. It is used most often to support complex, distributed applications. It includes web servers, application servers, content management systems, and similar tools that support application development and delivery. Middleware is especially integral to modern information technology based on XML, SOAP, Web services, and service-oriented architecture.

Definition：

Middleware is the enabling technology of Enterprise application integration. It describes a piece of software that connects two or more software applications so that they can exchange data.
ObjectWeb defines middleware as: "The software layer that lies between the operating system and the applications on each side of a distributed computing system in a.network."

Origins