22 Oct 2005
Looks like a browser, acts like a browser, must be a browser….right?
So I downloaded Flock‘s developer preview this morning. I’m actually posting this from Flock’s internal blog editor so if it works as expected that’s +1 for them. The editor has a few UI oddities but given the 0.5pre designation, those are to be expected.
It looks like an interesting idea and I look forward to future enhancements with the del.icio.us integration. Many of my del.icio.us tags are dot separated and I’d like the browser to build a favourite’s list with drop-downs derived from the tag hierarchy. There’s a firefox plugin already that does this so I don’t think this would be overly difficult to implement. It would also be nice to have the ability to put tags into categories and have them realized as drop-downs within the toolbar.
Overall I like the emphasis on tagged content and I look forward to future releases. I’m sure I’ll have more comments as I continue to experiment with it, but my first impressions are positive.
*Edit: *I’m not sure I like the way the built-in editor html-ized my post, makes it a tad difficult to modify the post from within wordpress. Another interesting feature: Flock recognized when I was logging into wordpress and asked if I wanted to save the password.
*Update: * Bart (from Flock) has given a good description of just what Flock is, what it hopes to accomplish, and why it is what it is.
07 Oct 2005
Any one want to tell me why we need a toothbrush with a computer in the handle? Maybe we should encourage Apple to stick a few bristles on the nano and call it a Tooth-pod.
It’s bad enough that we need batteries, and a razor sharing its name with an expensive BMW coupe, to get a good shave in the morning.
25 Sep 2005
Marc Canter has penned an AlwaysOn article discussing the finer points of open API’s as they relate to today’s web and its future incarnations. It’s worth reading if you have an interest in Web 2.0ish commentary.
To provide an opinion on Marc’s question, Should they adopt these tools and standards, painfully cannibalizing their existing revenue for a new unproven concept, or should they stick with their currently lucrative model with the risk that eventually a bunch of upstarts eat their lunch?
I think that the incumbents in area’s where we’ve reached critical mass, will open up. Many will be content to let a young startup do the heavy lifting/community building before entering into an acquisition phase. The other direction I see these companies going is further opening of their traditionally walled gardens. They’ll want to add value for their existing customers so this openness will go both ways, allow others access in while facilitating interoperability with other like-minded services.
It’s with the later aspect that open standards really come into play and it will be interesting to see how it plays out. I’ve played (a bit) with Y! 360 but don’t really dig it yet. I’d like to see something truly open where I’m not forced to start yet another blog or submit data to yet another aggregating service. My data is already out there, provide a meaningful service to build on top of it, not under it.