The access to information has apparently become easier and the ability to get your data anytime and from anywhere in the world is considered pretty much a normal thing these days. With an Internet connection and a browser you are immediately able to check what's the latest and greatest home computer, compare it with others, buy it and monitor its delivery until it gets to your door. Unfortunately, as it often happens, when it comes to us developers it is not that easy to build what makes a user's life so easy. Data exchange, collaboration and cooperation are actually some of the most complex areas developers have to deal with. Well, that area is definitely full of details.
Component software is targeted to make data exchange, collaboration and cooperation easier.
This is possible because they define a standard way to describe the services and the clients that access them know what to ask for and how to ask for it. When it comes to the Internet, the solution that was perfect for your LAN based application doesn't work anymore. Scalability and standards become a real issue since you cannot predict the number of clients that will access your system and, worst of all, you don't know what is accessing your system. With so many standards around a standard client is the last thing you should expect. This new, XML based standard promises the ultimate solution to all our problems.