Windows services allow applications to run in the background without a user interface. They can be configured to start automatically when the system boots up. Common windows services include the Windows Event Log, Windows Firewall, and Windows Error Reporting services. Developers can use windows services to host web services, making the web services always available even when no users are logged on. Distributed applications split an application across multiple computers for scalability or to access external services, like an ecommerce site using PayPal. Interoperable applications can communicate with any other application built on any platform.