News
Microsoft, eBay Announce Alliance
- By Scott Bekker
- 03/13/2001
Microsoft Corp. received endorsement from one of the leading on-line auctioneer sites on Monday, as
eBay and the Redmond-based giant announced a strategic alliance.
Through the partnership, eBay announced support for Microsoft’s .NET technologies and its Windows 2000 server. On the flip side, Microsoft announced it would be integrating eBay’s marketplace into some of its own Web properties.
eBay will use the .NET platform to extend the capabilities of it’s API. The eBay API will now be offered as a SOAP-based XML service, making it accessible to millions of developers worldwide. This will also enable eBay to offer its services to consumers through a variety of devices beyond the browser.
In addition, eBay will be deploying Windows 2000 server across all of its front-end Web servers and will offer its users the ability to sign in using Microsoft Passport.
Among the properties that Microsoft will be integrating eBay’s marketplace into include the MSN network, the Carpoint online automotive service, and the bCentral small-business service. - Jim Martin
About the Author
Scott Bekker is editor in chief of Redmond Channel Partner magazine.