When it comes to bucking trends in the computer business, Marc Benioff has quite a record. His firm, salesforce.com, is a dotcom that not only survived the shake-out, but is also profitable. He is a cheerleader for the idea of delivering software as a subscription-based utility, like water or electricity-an idea that many firms have tried, mostly without success. This week, he unveiled his most ambitious venture yet. He is forging ahead into "web services"-a standardised way for computers to handle business deals online that is widely believed to be the next stage in the evolution of computing, but is still more hype than reality. Is Mr Benioff about to pull another rabbit out of his hat?
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