Sams Teach Yourself TCP/IP in 24 Hours, Fourth Edition

E-Commerce

An e-commerce site is not necessarily an implementation of the web service paradigm described earlier in this hour; however, it still might use some web-service techniques, especially on the back end. E-commerce is a high-profile example of the way applications and components can be combined together using the tools of the Web.

Vendors and advertisers began to notice early on that the Web is a great way to get people to buy things. It is no secret that many websites look like long, intricate advertisements. Despite the hype, which is enough to make anyone doubt the validity of the design, the fact is that the Web is a convenient and cost-effective way to shop. Rather than sending thousands of catalogs by direct mail, a vendor can simply ...