Tuesday, December 30, 2003

'Saving' the Internet? | CNET News.com

'Saving' the Internet? | CNET News.com: "On Oct. 6, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued an opinion in the case of Brand X Internet v. the Federal Communications Commission that has the potential to delay the progress of the Internet in the United States by certainly years and potentially decades. Through its actions, the 9th Circuit has 'invited' the 50 independent and natural bureaucratic state-based public utility commissions directly into the fold of the Internet. "

SAD: Not a quick, easy-reading article :-( but a worthwhile read, since the decision by the 9th circuit has fairly far-reaching effects on how Internet access will (or won't) be regulated...

2003's Top Ten IM Trends

2003's Top Ten IM Trends: "Both Microsoft and IBM see IM and presence being syndicated to third-party applications. As part of the new Notes and Domino release, Lotus Domino Designer will allow developers to add presence capabilities to applications that run inside of a Notes or Domino application layer. Microsoft is providing tools to allow for similar connectivity directly to customers, and through a bevy of partners. "
...
"For the moment, the convergence of wired and wireless IM has been predominantly driven by carriers' efforts to glean additional income from subscribers. But increasing evidence shows that businesses also want wireless IM and presence-enabled technologies -- making the ascendancy of mobile IM one of the probable big stories of 2004."

SAD: Not sure they're the top ten, but an interesting summary of events nonetheless...


Monday, December 29, 2003

Spicing Up Collaboration

Spicing Up Collaboration: "As a result, the firm's soon-to-be-released Pepper Keeper system borrows from concepts developed in enterprise collaboration and e-book technology. Like Notes, it's designed to support a number of applications that leverage the same technology -- which can be developed by business partners. Some applications will ship with the product out of the box and will enable users to create and share 'pages' of information, in the form of customizable journals or photo albums. Consumers will be able to purchase other applications that run on the platform and that function similarly, using the 'page' metaphor.

They'll also need to buy replacements once they 'fill' the pages of their current applications. That's because Pepper Keeper borrows from the model of the traditional notebook journal or photo album in that the applications' pages are 'consumable' -- that is, they're usable once. "