12 WebSphere and .Net Interoperability Using Web Services
2.1 What is SOAP?
SOAP was first created by Microsoft, UserLand, and DevelopMentor in 1998.
The rule was: no new network technologies; use what is there and keep it simple
so that it works. SOAP is seen as a way of overcoming the obstacles in making
objects work together, though they may be written in different languages, running
on different platforms, and communicating with different protocols over the
Internet. It also enables programs to communicate through firewalls that are
being administered to permit browser traffic.
SOAP rides on the wave of success of XML and the Internet. XML is the lingua
franca for programs to exchange typed and structured information. Http: is the
connectionless ...