fusewerx, it was in the beta, then it was pulled only so that it would not hinder the RTM schedule of Windows 2003 Server, but it will be delivered with the OS. It will be on a supplemental CD in the box, just like Windows NT 4.0 eventually started shipping with the Option Pack CD in the same box. People who buy Windows 2003 Server before then will be able to download it (a fairly hefty download, since MSDE is bundled) or pay media & shipping charges to get the supplemental CD.
XMLSOAP, it's funny that you should react like that, given your handle. By itself, SharePoint Services has no functionality like a CRM or HR app. It's truly a set of services which can be used through a default presentation layer for content management and collaboration, and can also be used by developers as a platform for line of business solutions. It's roughly comparable to what you might do with XML Web Services, SOAP, UDDI, etc. You can let users consume web services directly via XSL/XSLT presentation, and you can also use web services to assemble apps and app components.
The SDK for the new version promises to be substantially better than the current, but you can already see the "services" approach emerging in the current SDK at http://msdn.microsoft.com/downloads/sample.asp?url=/MSDN-FILES/027/001/678/msdncompositedoc.xml
Out of the box, the presentation layer seems too hard-coded in the current STS, but look at http://www.sharepointsample.com/ for some great examples which put Zope-based sites to shame.
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