I just got my ArcWeb Services phase-out reminder. Apparently, I am viewed as a user. I think I may have signed up for some of the free services a few years ago but haven’t used them. Anyway, here’s partial text of the message:
ESRI ArcWeb Services (AWS) Product Status Notification – ArcWeb Services Phase-Out Reminder
With the ever increasing importance of providing market-leading online capabilities to its user community, ESRI has made the decision to focus its energy on one online strategy under the banner of ArcGIS. As a result, the ArcWeb Services product line is being phased out.
As a current ArcWeb customer, this notification is a follow-up reminder that ArcWeb Services will remain in place with full support until June 30, 2009 in order to support your existing applications and facilitate your transition to the capabilities of ArcGIS Server and ArcGIS Online.
Effective immediately, users will no longer be able to place orders for additional ArcWeb Services credits. ArcWeb Services subscribers with active accounts that expire prior to June 30, 2009 should contact aws_transition@esri.com to request an extension in order to support your transition to ArcGIS Server or ArcGIS Online.
The phase-out of ArcWeb Services will also impact deployed ArcGIS Engine based applications that utilize ArcWeb Services. Users developing applications on ArcGIS 9.3.1 will need to refer to the ArcGIS Online SOAP API. Please visit the ArcGIS Online Resource Center for more details.
This doesn’t really affect me or any of my customers as AWS was never an option. If you’re using AWS, this is your heads-up.
If you have invested in developing apps for this api, I imagine you could be pretty upset. A good example of how relying on 3rd party or non-standard formats/services leaves you at someone else’s mercy.