xmlhack: XML as Microsoft Java-killer?

In an article on Microsoft's Java strategies, PCWeek finds XML to be a critical ingredient in Microsoft's Java-killing arsenal.

"Along with the changes in Visual Basic, Microsoft's XML-based SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol) also goes a long way toward killing Java on Windows, particularly for corporations or application service providers that have no need to move an application between platforms."

SOAP provides a key tool for letting Windows-based tools interoperate with Java-based tools on other platforms, and may also provide an opening for Windows-based tools to break into fields where Java and RMI are commonly used. Using XML to exchange information rather than binary formats makes it easier to switch among tools.

Microsoft is adding SOAP support to Visual Studio 6.0 in the near future, as part of its Web Services Toolkit.