25.1. A Potpourri of Distributed Computing APIs
The Windows operating system has historically provided many APIs for building distributed systems. While it is true that most people consider a distributed system to involve at least two networked computers, this term in the broader sense can refer to two executables that need to exchange data, even if they happen to be running on the same physical machine. Using this definition, selecting a distributed API for your current programming task typically involves asking the following pivotal question:
Will this system be used exclusively in house, or will external users require access to the application's functionality?
If you build a distributed system for in-house use, you have a far greater chance ...
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