Web Services: Change Everything? Change Nothing?

The Rational Edge E-zine has a good article on Web Services titled Web Services: The Same, Only Different. Essentially what this article discusses is that whether Web Services change everything or that web services are just another piece of software and normal software development practices and tools apply to these. The article comes up with few notes at the end all of which I find very relevant.

• For the most part, developing Web services applications is the same as
  developing any other type of software application.
  
• There are, however, two important differences:
  
  
  
  • Service-oriented architectures are loosely coupled.
    
  • Web services development relies on HTTP and TCP/IP networking.
    
  
  
• These differences enhance the importance of:
  
  
  
  • Designing Web services that fit into an overall service architecture.
    
  • Optimizing component and application design specifically for Web
    services technologies -- especially to compensate for the slow and
    unreliable nature of HTTP and TCP/IP networks.
    
  • Utilizing lifecycle software management tools and best practices that
    enforce architectural control.
    
  • Continuous regression testing for service producers and consumers,
    both of whom risk serious consequences if a Web service fails.