Len,

>>Mike, don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to put you down for it.
>
>I understand. I get the dreamer thing all the time, and to an exent its true, but it depends on the topic (I've been called a cold hard cynic just as many times as an idealist).
>
>>Unfortunately, in the world in which we live, profit is the bottom line, if the technology will have great benefits but reduce profits, it will allowed to stagnate.
>
>Very true, but I think with time the profits will come. For discussions sake (you know this), no one is suggesting that mission critical apps should run over the Web,

Interestingly enough, that is excatly what we are doing and plan on doing in the foreseeable future. I'd be interested in your 'take' on this. Perhaps a separate thread?


or that you should not be catiuos dropping all your credit card numbers into an online wallet. But with everything that goes on in a business, not everything is critical and this is where, I think, that Web services will shine.
>
>The example I throw around alot is a time card Web service. Imagine you had a coproration where you need to keep track of employees. You could design, develop, host, and maintain the application that clock employees in an and out. Thats time and money. Or, you can write five lines of code that do that by callnig a Web service, that you pay some odd number of bucks for ever month. You don't need the SQL server licence, or the develoeprs to do that. YOu just write the 5 lines to call the Web service and put that in the company intranet Active Server Page, or at a cash register application if its a retial store, or maybe, when they open the building doors with their company ID card it automatically clocks them in, or when the open up their Office documents. For cab drivers or truck drivers, this stuff can be in the car, or shipping clerks, it can be apart of there Portable Data Terminals, ect. ect. ect.
>
>So the WS provider will be collecting the subscriptions every month (the profits), and the small time app users will be thrilled that its all they needed to do to get a nice well rounded application (the benifits). Its dreaming, but its not THAT far fetched, and the software actuallly exists today.