Some of the key Web services standards have been defined, and others are being debated within standards organisations such as the World Wide Web Consortium and the Internet Engineering Task Force. Technology buyers see a need for additional standards, but they have been patient. Bob Gerardi, manager for Xerox's office services operations, said the software industry has taken a "smart approach" to standards. "They are solidifying the right building blocks for security and laying the groundwork," said Gerardi. "There are so many players vying for standards, but the major ones -- IBM, Sun and Microsoft -- are doing a good job." Forrester analyst Ted Schadler said vendors are grudgingly moving toward shared standards for data exchange. "The entire software industry has finally decided that it can make more money by letting firms and consumers share information. It's what any maturing industry is forced to do: make sure their product works with everybody else's product." Nevertheless, there are still spats among vendors, and long-standing grudges have not eased. Microsoft, along with IBM, co-founded the Web Services Interoperability Organisation ( WS-I), which aims to promote Web services by ensuring that software from technology makers is compatible. More than 100 companies have joined, but Sun Microsystems has declined an invitation to join as a contributing member, campaigning instead for more influential "founding board member" status so it can help set the group's agenda. During the Microsoft antitrust trial, evidence surfaced in written testimony that Chairman Bill Gates and other Microsoft executives attempted to steer the direction of the WS-I away from Sun. And vendors have been vocal in their criticism of standards bodies as moving too slowly to approve new guidelines. Meanwhile, software makers are forging ahead with products, sometimes before standards are fully baked. Recently, Microsoft said it is building additional Web services security software in the hope of reassuring big companies now assessing the technology for future projects. IBM continues to revamp its tools and application server software to form a more cohesive package for Web services development. And Sun executives last week said they're getting more serious about Web services.