Microsoft's new programming environment, Microsoft .NET, offers an alternative to the data tier/business tier model of providing geospatial solutions. J2EE offers similar alternatives. For example, instead of purchasing a database containing needed street addresses for a given area of interest, a business using Web services could simply send an address via XML or SOAP to a Web service that would return the needed location. Because .NET, and J2EE, are object-oriented, development is cleaner, code is reusable, and costs are lowered. .NET allows transparency to developers working on desktop applications, servers, Web pages and mobile platforms. .NET and J2EE interoperability is increasing as tools are developed that enhance compatibility. Visual Studio .NET is the main development environment for .NET. Jbuilder, iPlanet's NetBeans, and BEA's WebLogic, though not as comprehensive individually as Visual Studio .NET, have comparable capabilities for developing using J2EE.Because the Web service model is the wave of the future, it will likely play an important role in geospatial solutions. Choosing between .NET and J2EE is not so much a question of which is better, but rather a decision based on a specific situation. .NET is more efficient to develop in when used with Windows and its Server components. J2EE, on the other hand, is more flexible and robust, though more difficult to manage.