RPCs have been around for 25 years. (see RFC 1057.)
SOAP differs from previous RPC
systems in two main ways:
- It rides on the coat-tails of the Web. It is layered on
W3C Recommendations and tries to use web infrastructure. It can be
explained to non-technical people in terms of their web experience (eg
filling out forms).
- It comes at a time when business is finally ready. Internet
connectivity is an accepted part of the modern business world and the
notion of supply-chain automation makes sense to every business
manager.