Web Services

With programming and design being mostly controlled by business, the concept of Web Services, XML, SOAP, WSDL, and UDDI is becoming very popular. Most businesses that contact me for career opportunities not only want you to know C# and ASP.net technologies, but these others services that are apart of the new evolution of the web. These web webservices are rapidly changing the web, it was only about a year ago when Google Maps came onto the scene. This has dramtically changed the way people have been using the internet. The last half of 2005, a new concept was born.

Using multiple web services into one page, this concept is known as "mash-up". You might have come across these services recently, for example any website that uses Google's maps combining with another web service. Here is an example:
http://www.mywikimap.com/ of combining Google's map with gas prices in your area.

I personally like the way the future of the internet is going (in this aspect). Before Google Maps and their web service, finding directions was only done with Yahoo Maps and other services. Now we can find directions with gas stations, and food services on the way if necessary.

The following website does a nice defintion of what Web Services are and the other technologies behind the development of web services: http://www.webopedia.com/DidYouKnow/
Computer_Science/2005/web_services.asp