The Battle for Web Services. Currently, this discussion is far removed from elearning...but the article is a good overview on the confusing landscape of web services standards. Web services are basically a communications protocol, allowing computers/applications/processes to interact. Apparently, the outcome of this debate will significantly shape our information use.
The heart of it: proprietary standards? or open? From the article "If the vision for Web services comes true, and companies use these standards as they use HTTP and HTML-that is, constantly-then royalties on Web services could become like a tollbooth for business on the Internet, chipping money out of every transaction that crosses the wires."