Re: [xml-dev] Benefits of SOAP?

[Rich Salz <rsalz@datapower.com>]

> > SOAP currently offers very
> > little (if any) functionality beyond what can be done using direct XML
> > interchange over HTTP.

You're not looking close enough.  It provides
        Framework for multi-party (i.e., intermediary) interactions
        Forward-compatible evolution (mustUnderstand)
        A standard place for putting meta-data, upon which a wide variety
        of capabilities can be built; cf WS-xxx

For example, using WS-Security I can get end-to-end message integrity
and selective data privacy, regardless of who else is participating
in the messaging.  That's pretty cool; I don't know of any other
middleware that really provided it, do you?

        /r$

--
Rich Salz                  Chief Security Architect
DataPower Technology       http://www.datapower.com
XS40 XML Security Gateway  http://www.datapower.com/products/xs40.html
XML Security Overview      http://www.datapower.com/xmldev/xmlsecurity.html