WCF, WS-* and REST in .NET 3.5 SP1
As I listed in this post on the .NET Framework 3.5 SP1, there are a bunch of significant additions to WCF in SP1. The list looks pretty focused towards REST services and the Web. It's no secret that many developers are looking to REST and the simpler programming model for Web applications. In this regard, Microsoft is perhaps playing catch up here adding first-class REST features alongside the premier WS-* features. With WCF being extensible this has been fairly simple and has resulted in a single framework for building services that allows us developers to target both SOAP and REST based services. I think the really cool thing, is that since a WCF Service can expose multiple endpoints, its a snap to expose both a SOAP/WS-* endpoint and a REST endpoint. In other words, the same service functionality over both endpoints. This is low cost and itterative way to get into REST. You don't have to fight between the two, Indigo lets you use both with much of the same concepts you have already learned.
If you want to truly understand all this, you will want to get Jon Flander's RESTful .NET book when it ships. I have been working as a tech reviewer on the book and its going to rock!
