>A remote application communicates to a Web Service on an IIS server to collect some data and wait for the response. One of our architectural design involves something more direct, such as a push, thus socket programming, to have the server to push data to a remote application when time comes. Is this still used today or this has been superceeded by something better?
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>I provided a training class in the '90s on this at a user group in Montreal. But, maybe actual technology provides something more bettter, more powerful and better in general.
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>Any feedback on the topic would be appreciated?

Doesn't get easier than this:
http://www.frozenmountain.com/websync/