Thumbnail GeneratorThe Thumbnail Generator Web Service creates a .gif image of a specified URL. The service stores the image on the server for a pre-determined amount of time and returns the URL to access it. This example introduces an important application of Web Services; namely, they provide a powerful mechanism for 'renting' the server's CPU time to less powerful clients. The process of rendering a Web page into HTML is resource-intensive. By using a Web Service to render the Web page, clients can take advantage of the server's processing power.