There’s a lot of focus these days on SOAP vs REST and the proliferation of WS-* specifications. Sometimes you wonder if WS-* solves problems that aren't all that common or have already been solved.
For example, some in the REST camp will say, HTTP has security built in. It#8217;s called SSL. Why not use it instead of building WS-Security.
Another example is WS-Addressing. This places addressing information within the SOAP envelope so that the message can be delivered via transports other than HTTP. At first glance, I wonder how often this will be useful for web services when HTTP is the predominant mode of transport.
However, Pat Caldwell illustrates a real world scenario in which WS-Addressing solved a real need that REST couldn#8217;t and doesn#8217;t address.
REST has its place, but for some of those nitty gritty situations, SOAP keeps everything clean.