So far in this series (click here for an index of the complete series, as well as supporting screencasts), I have illustrated how to develop both a LO-REST, AJAX-Friendly service, as well as HI-REST services adhering to the unified API of HTTP. In the very first post, I touched on some aspects of REST, but I haven’t spent much time on the benefits of following a RESTful architectural style. I made mention of the fact that RESTful services follow the "way of the web". As it turns out, this proves to be quite powerful.