So what the heck are Web services?

That's the catchy title for this latest BusinessWeek tutorial. A good read if you're new to the Web services space. For those already acquainted with Web services, you'll notice a lot of the credit going to Microsoft for fomenting this revolution. "You have to begin and end every Web-services conversation with Microsoft," the article concludes.

Readers, do you agree that Microsoft deserves the lion's share of the credit for kicking off the Web services wave back in 1999? Let us know in TalkBack, below.