Summary

I l @ ve RuBoard

Although we have focused on the implementation of Web Services using Microsoft's ASP.NET architecture, similar technologies provided by both Sun and IBM exist for those enmeshed in the world of Java programming. Although at the time of this writing these tools were, at least in this author's opinion, less well-integrated and " user -friendly" than their Microsoft counterparts, it is important even for dyed-in-the-wool Microsoft-only developers to realize that it is relatively easy for Web Services to be created and consumed by applications written using different platforms and tools.

TIP

For more information on Web Services within the context of Java development, you should visit a few of the following Web sites for more extensive and up-to-date information.

• IBM's DeveloperWorks Web-Services Homepage (http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/ webservices /)

• Apache SOAP Implementation (http://xml.apache.org/soap/index.html)

Before coming to a (seemingly inevitable) conclusion regarding the success or failure of the Web Services architecture, let's review the benefits it provides:

• Virtually seamless interoperability between heterogeneous systems

• The ability to connect organizations through firewalls without compromising security

• Broad industry support from virtually every major player in the software development market

• An open , standards-based architecture

Given the importance of these factors to corporations attempting to provide integrated business services over the Internet, it is fair to say that rarely has so much potential been realized in a product that requires so little in the way of deployment costs and retraining .

I l @ ve RuBoard