WSS is a server portal component included in Windows Server 2003 for creating a workgroup collaboration site. It includes document upload, indexing and searching. It also includes Alerts, which are triggered when a document or document area has been changed.
Why develop on WSS?
Web Parts. Microsoft put a modular user interface into every SharePoint site, and it uses the full power of ASP.NET and Visual Studio .NET. Web Parts are created from within Visual Studio and have strong integration with Web Services. Sites as Programmable Objects. SharePoint sites, their contents, and the servers that deliver them are accessible, manipulable, and extensible via a managed code API and set of Web Services. You can even package them up as Templates to deploy reusable solutions. An accessible, extensible content store for documents and other data. You can reach the contents of a SharePoint site via Web Services, WebDAV, or the Windows XP Web Client service. Office applications read/write from/to SharePoint sites.
SharePoint Portal Server 2003
SPS is an enterprise portal server which can tie together individual SharePoint sites. This is a separate product.
Why develop on SPS?
It's based on Windows SharePoint Services. If it works in a SharePoint site, it'll probably work in a MySite, an area or a portal home page. Extensible services for indexing and search, people and personalization, and content aggregation/organization. Enterprise Application Integration features, particularly in the areas of Single Sign-On and BizTalk Server interoperability.
InfoPath Integration
InfoPath, which is a new Web Services forms product in Office 2003, is tightly integrated with SharePoint . It allows for saving forms to and launching forms from a SharePoint forms library. Also, forms data, with repeating complex elements, that is saved to a SharePoint library can be automatically aggregated into a single form inquire. For instance, travel expenses from a department can be merged into a single InfoPath form.
What this means to the enterprise
SharePoint integration is one of the most frequently requested feature from enterprise clients. I believe these are larger clients that have software from other vendors in addition to enterprise applications. One thought is that the enterprise portal could run in a SharePoint instance. Or perhaps integration could be reached using specific WebParts created for forms and drill, calling enterprise Web Services. While this would be a specific platform implementation, it could be a strong product offering for the enterprise.
References
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