>There is already upheaval over BizTalk in non-MS camps from people who believe (or think they believe) that no one has the right to 'shape' XML messaging this way. They tout that the beauty of XML is that it can be anything, and should not be tamed- but I think that they are missing the point. With standards comes productivity and real-world gains. Without standards, it's all just a jumble.
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>I have no idea if BizTalk will win this standards war, but I have a feeling it will. Somebody has to, and this framework is much further along than any other I've seen, and MS surely has the muscle to push it. Keep an eye on this one- it's gonna get good.


I agree with the benefits of this type of leadership from MS. ODBC is an excellent example of this. MS develops it; it works reasonably well; lots of other people start using it. The result is the reverse of Windows domination: rather than being forced to buy the MS product you get increased choice. (If I choose I can connect my FoxPro app to SQL from Oracle, IBM, Sybase, etc.)

Peter