As Java already proved, the ubiquity of a runtime platform depends on its ability to scale up to the data cluster level, and down to the handheld device level. Microsoft would like to one-up Java wherever it can, but in some respects, it has to play catch-up first. This week, the company may have caught up with Java in at least one more department, with the release of Web services support for the .NET Micro Framework, unveiled in its new 2.5 release.
