The CNET article SOAP could slip up Microsoft rivals explores the impact that Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) might have on the raging battles between COM and CORBA and Microsoft and Sun, as well as the implications of an open XML standard for interapplication communication.

For background, Microsoft provides an overview white paper of SOAP, positioning SOAP as a relatively simple mechanism for passing information (even through firewalls) using the well-understood HTTP protocol. SOAP extends the simple XML-RPC protocol with more support for object information rather than simple procedure calls.

Most of the fun in the article is watching companies foam at the mouth and analysts argue whether this is the 'right approach' or 'nothing new'. Also interesting are the battles over which standards organization (SOAP is currently available as an Internet-Draft at the IETF) would be an appropriate forum.

If you'd rather just see the technical information, visit the specification or work with an implementation.

Update: Slashdot has a discussion of the story underway.