| With XML and SOAP providing the data and transport, and Web services providing the protocols for discovery and connection, there still remains the need to incorporate transactions, security, and identity into Web-based, service-oriented applications. For enterprises looking to move into this space there are two main options: Microsoft's .NET framework and the Sun-led J2EE initiative. However, making direct comparisons between .NET and J2EE is a bit like comparing apples and oranges. Microsoft's .NET is a Web services framework that works well on Windows platforms with Windows-based technologies. Sun's J2EE, on the other hand, is a Java-based specification based on the EJB framework, with implementations available from Sun, IBM, BEA, HP, Oracle, and others. While J2EE proponents criticize .NET for its Microsoft lock-in, the competitive marketplace reality is such that different J2EE implementers will inevitably offer complementary services and interfaces that play to individual corporate strengths. This will limit, to some extent, the portability between J2EE solutions. The bottom line is that the choice between .NET and J2EE will always be a choice between product platforms, driven by the services a vendor can provide and a company's vision of its future.  |
