Navigating the Waters of Web Services With .Net Page 6

Three Points to Consider

1. Web services are an unproven concept both technically and commercially. Even with the hype flying high and all the major software companies seemingly convinced of the righteousness of Web services, they are a long way from reality. In other words: Web services might not turn out to be quite the be-all, end-all they are being portrayed as.
2. Microsoft’s .Net is going to have stiff competition from Sun Microsystems, IBM, and other vendors in the Java camp.
3. Microsoft does have a head start. By the end of the first quarter of 2002, many of the major initial elements of .Net will be in general release — not just in beta or prototype versions. Likewise, many partner products will also be released. Microsoft began developing .Net back in the days when people were taunting it for being late to the Internet party. It’s been serious (as in making money) about Web services for several years. The early reports on .Net elements indicate that Microsoft’s ambitious scheme is, at a minimum, workable. And it is quite possibly better than that.

Thus, even those who don’t like Microsoft (and enterprises that refuse to use its products) will be making a serious mistake if they underestimate the impact of .Net on not only Web services but also Web applications in general.