Microsoft anticipates big benefits for those who upgrade to the planned Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) technology for Web services, a Microsoft technologist said at the TechEd 2006 conference on Monday... WCF features unified technology stacks [which include] ASMX (ASP.Net Web Services), for interoperability; .Net Remoting, serving as a local object programming model; System.Messaging, for guaranteed delivery; Enterprise Services, for transacted communications and Web Services Enhancements, providing security on top of ASMX.
These technologies are all available today, however they aren't available in one unified package and require lots of extra effort to tie together. WCF brings everything all together in one big happy family and allows implementation with less code, and offers additional features such as better security and more flexibility. WCF was previously known as "Indigo," and is Microsoft's effort to tie together all of its various connectivity technologies. More information can be found via The Windows Communication Foundation: A Primer. WCF will ship with Vista and will also be offered for some previous Windows versions.
