via Scripting News - XML.com: Google's Gaffe

Google seems to be caught up in the hype of SOAP-based web services. Conversely, Amazon has recently released a program for its partners based upon pure XML, HTTP and URIs. eBay has long had an XML/HTTP/URI-style service.

In this article I demonstrate that Google's choice was technologically poor, compared to that of eBay and Amazon. I will show that a Google API based on XML, HTTP and URIs can be simpler to use, more efficient, and more powerful.

An interesting and thought provoking article. Well worth the read. My personal opinion? SOAP does not necessarily make a clean implementation ;-)