Commentary: IBM, Microsoft's Web services sing-along

Ted Schadler, Principal Analyst

IBM's Steve Mills and Microsoft's Bill Gates pledged allegiance to software standards. Is their commitment to Web services standards real? Yes. In fact, you can bet your career on it.

Forrester shuttled to New York to attend a software interoperability fete with IBM Software Group Senior Vice President Steve Mills and Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates. These fierce competitors became impresarios for the day to emphasize their commitment to new Web services standards for security, reliability and transactions. Why should you believe their commitment? Because the duo has a few motives:

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• A three-year track record of giving intellectual capital away. Every Web services standard that IBM and Microsoft have spearheaded has been turned over to a standards body under royalty-free terms. Both Mills and Gates are committed to continuing this royalty-free policy for advanced Web services standards like WS-Addressing, WS-Reliable Messaging and WS-Policy.

• They invited companies like BEA, Oracle, SAP and Sun Microsystems to participate. Although IBM and Microsoft control the flow, they do widen the funnel of participation as the spec gains momentum. The alternative--design by committee--suffers from a glacial pace and standards bloat. Proof that the IBM-Microsoft process works? Check out the good work of the 120-company-strong WS-I.

• They have retained lots of ways to compete for your attention. Let there be no doubt, these companies will continue to battle for customers' IT dollars--and often the blood will fly. But both companies will win as Web services standards lay the foundation for new apps that will be built on IBM and Microsoft software.

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