Q&A
Q: How can .NET change e-commerce?
A: .NET has the potential to profoundly affect e-commerce. Because of .NET's freedom from applications and programming languages, XML data can be easily transferred and manipulated.
Q: Why is the idea of Web Services important?
A: Distributed programming is currently available in networking environments, where different applications on different servers communicate and process information. The idea of a "programmable Web" is different, however. Information on the Internet does not move well between business to business; clients are often left to perform mundane tasks over and over (such as entering addressing information). Web Services provide a platform-independent and language-independent way to move information more easily and use it more collectively via XML and SOAP.
Q: How is XML used in the .NET strategy?
A: XML, or Extensible Markup Language, is used heavily in the .NET initiative to provide a common way to display data. .NET is designed to function both with XML and Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP).
Q: What is the Common Language Runtime?
A: Programming languages use a runtime in order to interact with program components. .NET uses a Common Language Runtime in which all languages can function. This feature enables programmers to use a programming language of choice when using .NET.