I think the point behind web services is to really allow software to interoperate, and to finally release the legions of human beings that keyboard enter accounting documents to find a higher calling. Internet sites that now attempt to cover their costs through advertising may not be a good fit for webservices, and maybe sites like google, or goto that rank paid links higher will lead in the web services arena. It's hard to tell right now. Microsoft's Biztalk initiative is pretty key in the whole webservices plan. It hopes to specify the "interfaces" that link disparate business processes, and to join together all the different mechanisms by which organizations now exchange standard information. Imagine standard interfaces that would allow you, using Quickbooks, to send an invoice electronically to your client, who uses Peachtree. Imagine a standard format that all accounting packages accepted. EDI has promised this for years and years, but only the largest companies have put it in place. No question that a whole series of web services will emerge, like Microsoft's Passport architecture, that will become fundamental pieces of application development. There will be standard services for currency exchange, payroll deduction calculations, translation, calculating shipping costs (no question FedEx and others have this in the works), etc. and it will be adventageous for we as applications developers to make use of these services. Will we all run out tomorrow and buy subscriptions to a whole list of webservices... I doubt it. But I do believe that vendors will certainly open up their systems to make it easier to integrate with their systems. That's a more reasonable economic driver IMO. I don't think
