A few points of reply:

• As I mentioned earlier, Apps isn't currently conceiving of providing a similar tool.  Interestingly though, we will provide tools that make building BSG Platform Apps easier.  Let's contrast this with the IBM solution above:
  • In the IBM solution, I use their builder to define and generate a full RubyOnRails application.  Our offering is not this generic.
  • In the JackBe solution, I add all my services to my palette, then go about wiring them together.  Lastly, I publish/deploy them to some production environment.  Our offering is not this generic either.  Neither is it this heavyweight.
  • In our solution, you start a generic RubyOnRails application (or Java or Wavemaker, etc) and then install whichever BSG Platform plugins you need.  For example, need to have an application login?  Install service_user_client and magically you've SSO and shared profiles.  Need to store files?  Install service_storage_client.  Etc, etc.
• Having said this, we haven't ruled out the applicability of mashup tools, but we have set their priority.  Every mashup builder requires compatible services and widgets for data serving and data rendering.  In the SimOD space, we need to build these first.  If, when building our services, we follow the BSG Platform Reference Architecture (which admittedly isn't broadly communicated yet), our new services should work with the mashup tool in the ways you've described.

So in a nutshell, I'd suggest we not get the cart before the horse.  Let's design and build our SimOD services and widgets.  The applicability and value of the mashup tools will then be self evident.

One last, important point:  I'm not sure I see the product vision we're painting here? A few significant questions arise:

• Why would "the client" want to do this?  Everything I've seen indicates they're interested in solutions, not recombinant technology.  On the other hand, perhaps delivery or a sim modeler could use them.
• What user context do these mashups live in?  Are they on a Hub?  A custom app?  A simulation creation app?  An internal portal?
• Once I've chosen a user context, then what's the relationship of that user context with the mashup tool?

Again, to summarize, if BSG builds an "application" that's part-build-a-simulation-process/part-Hub then what's the role of the mashup tool?  It's value is in the application already, isn't it?

Comments welcome.  As an fyi, I'll be sending a larger reply to the "SimOD and The Platform" e-mail thread that went around circa Dec 27.