Instant Gratification

Gregory Alan Bolcer (gbolcer@endTECH.com)
Wed, 11 Aug 1999 06:34:22 -0700


> As is always the case, predicting what will be the next hot
> technology is a gamble. Few of the analysts, pundits,
> experts, and marketing managers contacted for this story
> would have wagered that instant messaging would
> become a point of contention between AOL and
> Microsoft. ;
Some of us are better at it than others; anyone care to make
any other guesses? Anyone else on FoRK completely blindsighted by
the fact that MSFT and AOL aren't playing well together wrt messaging?

>
> Yet many pointed out possible new grounds where the
> giants could fight for control over software and new
> standards. Those include: business-to-business
> cross-platform data exchange via Extensible Markup
> Language (XML); e-commerce and "digital wallets";
> wide-scale directories to allow single Net sign-on; digital
> streaming and real-time video; and voice technology, with
> a focus on digital phone calls and voice-activated Web
> browsers.

-- 
Greg Bolcer
email: gbolcer@endtech.com
web: http://www.endtech.com
work: 714.505.4970
cell: 714.928.5476
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http://abcnews.go.com/sections/tech/CNET/cnet_messaging990806.html

Where the Web will be won

Mike Ricciuti CNET News.com 8/6/1999 04:00 AM Instant messaging is just the beginning.

As the bulk of business and personal computing moves even further onto the Internet, identifying the next key technological battlefront is more important than ever for America Online, Microsoft, and a cast of smaller hopefuls seeking to determine what course the Web takes.

The war for the Web won't be decided by a single battle, but through a series of skirmishes on key fronts. The winner will in all likelihood control what the general public sees and does on the Web.

Experts agree that, like HTML and HTTP before it, messaging standards have the potential to be hugely important and could pave the way for an entire array of new services. But perhaps more than anything else, the instant messaging controversy points out just how unpredictable the fight for control of Internet technologies will be.

As is always the case, predicting what will be the next hot technology is a gamble. Few of the analysts, pundits, experts, and marketing managers contacted for this story would have wagered that instant messaging would become a point of contention between AOL and Microsoft.