Ways I've Integrated With Business Partners

Wouldn't it be lovely to use Web Services?

I've done the following:

• sent messages following HomeSecurityIndustry standards coming from dial-in days: numbers as hex, etc. Over a UDP socket.

• mimic HttpPost: simple data format, so don't even bother with XML

• XML over a basic TCP socket (not over HTTP)

• POX: push ReST-ian XML over HTTP (LoRest)

• POX: get polled via HTTP, reply with multiple XML records

• push FTP files into a directory on remote server that their service sweeps (that's to send messages through their Text Pager system)

• read/write more "modern" ReST-y API-s: Twitter, EventBrite, etc. (Often finding the need to integrate an ASynch Messaging system, as in: Spinning Off Asynch Rails Processes For Web Services Calls)