Month: October 2001

iFolder Revolutionizes Internet Storage: I recently met Tom Rolander. I have wanted to meet Tom for a long time. Tom is a legend to me. Tom is one of the world premier programmers that understands redirection. Tom worked with and was a close personal friend of Gary Kildall (Author of CP/M and founder of Digital… Continue reading Gary Kildall

How K-Logs (knowledge management Weblogs) will evolve: Here is the result of some thinking I have been doing on how K-Logs have evolved and will eventually emerge as a core part of the desktop productivity suite: 1st Generation. K-Logs as a server-based Internet service.  These basic Weblogs used a centralized services model to enable people… Continue reading How K-Logs (knowledge management Weblogs) will evolve: Here is the result of some thinking I have been doing on how K-Logs have evolved and will eventually emerge as a core part of the desktop productivity suite:

1st Generation. K-Logs as a server-based Internet service.  These basic Weblogs used a centralized services model to enable people to publish to the Web.  There are a variety of vendors that provide this capability.  However, most companies don't want to store vital corporate data outside the firewall.  Also, there is a growing fear, given the current economic environment, that these services will suddenly stop working and vital data will be lost. 

2nd Generation. Packed K-Log server software.  This solution solved some of the problems with the services model by providing corporations with packaged Weblog software that they could install on their Intranet.  However, this solution has the same problems with scalability, cost, and flexibility that plague centralized solutions we see in the Web world.  Also, centralized software cannot easily take advantage of data stored in desktop applications or provide individuals with a fast loading mobile copy of their critical data.  

3rd Generation. Desktop K-Log software.  This is the point we are at today.  Desktop K-Log software solves the scalability and personal storage issues by decentralizing K-Log development and publishing.  Core functionality on this generation of software includes:  Weblog publishing, categories, RSS headline aggregation, community data aggregation (recent updates for example), bookmark lists, directories, and file uploads.  This decentralized approach provides people with a desktop archive of all information (aggregated or posted) as well as an ability to use the tool in a P2P framework. 

4th Generation.  Fully integrated desktop K-Log software. This is the generation where K-Logs challenge the current 1980's desktop productivity suite for dominance.  This software includes the core functionality included in the 3rd generation but also:  outlines, structured instant messaging, full e-mail integration, and P2P file/data transfer.   Also, this software will fully integrate with corporate Webservices to allow employees to gather important information that can be then posted to his/her K-Log (for example:  a SOAP service the provides sales figures at the end of each day — more on this later).   This tool is the end-point that can be fully customized by corporations to fit their needs.  It allows an employee to aggregate dozens of data sources, analyze that data, and post it with an annotation to a K-Log (or multiple K-Logs based on categories).  It breaks down data silos and puts otherwise random data into context that has meaning and structure.  That posted knowledge can be searched, sorted and used by all employees with the appropriate access to improve their ability to do their job. [John Robb's Radio Weblog

MIT Technology Review: Super Sync. Instead of ubiquitous connectivity to centralized databanks, we are instead building an infrastructure that's optimized for data replication. The same information is getting copied to dozens, hundreds or even thousands of places throughout the world… [Tomalak's Realm]

Web Services Specifications. Today, Microsoft released for preview the first set of specifications in the Global XML Web Services Architecture on routing, referral, security, and licensing that build on the baseline XML, SOAP, WSDL, and UDDI specifications. — MSDN These appear to be jointly developed with IBM. I don't know whether it will be submitted… Continue reading Web Services Specifications

Are you thinking of downloading Windows Messenger 4.5? It just came out a few days ago. I — being the stupid moose I am — downloaded it the minute it came out. It makes ICQ look nice. This thing won't let me quit it anymore unless I also quit all other apps. “There are other… Continue reading Windows Messenger 4.5

Mark Bernstein Weblog. Quote: “This makes life here on the border of art and science especially tricky. In the last few weeks, I've bumped into at least two papers about hypertext issues, published in respectable Web journals, that appear to me to be simply unpublishable. One is methodologically unsound, resting upon an experiment that doesn't… Continue reading Mark Bernstein Weblog

Peter Merholz on classification [peterme.com]

The “Internet Desktop” The Register.  Blackcomb not until 2003 at the earliest.  2005 is likely says Gartner.  Blackcomb is the real .Net operating system. Here's the situation.  For years Microsoft played a fast follower role to innovative developers (a fast follower targets innovators and quickly matches their innovations).  However, its success as a fast follower have all but… Continue reading The Register

The Unkindest Cut of All?. Very slowly, the butchers, bakers and small shopkeepers in Barcelona's fresh-food markets are taking their businesses online. Cyberspace can be efficient, but they fear its impersonal nature. Jorge L. Ortiz reports from Barcelona, Spain. [Wired News]

Robert Scoble: Don Norman is wrong when he compares pens to software. The idea of software getting “as easy to use” as a pen is revolting to me. The only way that'll happen is if you reduce its functionality down to only one or two functions. [Scobleizer]