By Edward Teach Internet time, as we are all learning, moves a lot faster than ordinary time. It already seems ages since companies first began putting up Web sites, like so many billboards on the information superhighway.
Small companies can manage fine with low-end Web stores or hosted storefront services.
But midsized and larger companies that expect to do a lot of business on the Web need more. They need servers that can provide rich functionality and handle thousands of simultaneous shoppers. Microsoft Corp. These products provide basic commerce-server functionality, including a catalog, plus software tools for developing other functions. Both kinds of commerce servers provide interfaces for integrating third-party software. It's a wash, at least for large companies, says Rugullies.