Java Web Services

[voodooflux]

The good thing about web services is that it enables systems of varying platforms/languages to communicate via the gift of HTTP and XML.

Optimum hammer nail interface there. It's useful to consider Web Services as a tool for creating platform independant APIs.

Depends on the tools. Developing Web Services in VS and .NET is p!$$ easy. Most of the work is done for you (and you still get to charge the client the same).

Absolutely, both IIS based asmx and WCF based web services are incredibly easy to develop. The real beauty of WCF is that it offers the possibility of replacing the HTTP transport with something else whilst maintaining the high level interface.