From: Adam Rifkin -4K (adam@XeNT.ics.uci.edu)
Date: Sun Aug 06 2000 - 22:49:40 PDT
Pointcast wasn't push, it was shove. But Yankee group thinks the world
will soon be ready for a kinder, gentler push:
http://www.yankeegroup.com/webfolder/yg21a.nsf/surveys/90D56E713E5ADBB385256930004F431C?OpenDocument
If the One-Way Web is about Publish and the Two-Way Web is about Publish
and Subscribe, then whoever gets "kinder, gentler push" right is going
to make a mint...
> On July 24, BackWeb Technologies unveiled its "polite" push architecture
> and new application server that enable companies to communicate
> time-sensitive, business-critical information throughout the extended
> enterprise. The goal is to create a single communications infrastructure
> to manage the delivery of content to any user on any common data device
> such as the Web, e-mail, wireless, fax, and voice mail via its "polite"
> push. BackWeb also gained support from industry leaders such as IBM,
> Lucent Technologies, and Hewlett-Packard. Specifically, the IBM deal
> integrates BackWeb's Foundation Software with IBM's WebSphere studio
> tools and Visual Age for Java. Also, IBM's global CRM unit will promote
> the platform to its financial services and telecommunications verticals.
>
> Pointcast pioneered push technology in the mid-1990s by developing a
> screen saver product that could broadcast news updates, stock quotes,
> and other vital information to a person's computer. It received rave
> reviews and was expected to revolutionize the delivering of information
> over the Internet. Unfortunately, pushing content through the pipelines
> clogged up many computer systems, and, as a result, the problems push
> technology created with network traffic sent the idea into an early
> grave. Until now, it was thought to be dead.
>
> So, is it dead? The Yankee Group doesn't think so. If used
> appropriately, push technology can greatly improve the proactive
> delivery of content to employees, partners, and customers. The new
> generation of push technology optimizes network bandwidth and, as a
> result, does not impede current client operations. It also has an
> "escalation" feature that allows information to dynamically "find" the
> user by roaming from one device to the next until it reaches the
> intended recipient. Specifically with CRM, businesses could alert sales
> reps of critical customer order status information, such as product
> back-order information, on the device of their choice. It could also
> ensure that channel partners receive the most up-to-date product
> material for selling. Since many companies are struggling with
> delivering the right information to the right people at the right time,
> the "polite" push is heading in the right direction.
---- Adam@4K-Associates.ComA major branch of current historical research involves collating biographical material on important figures of public interest in a particular period. Now imagine you're an Internet user living 5, 10, 20, 100 years from now. How will you gather biographical material about people living in the 1990s and 2000s? More and more people are living out significant parts of their lives online, from both business, technical, and social standpoints. But will the content about those people, some of whom may play pivotal roles in current events, still be available? -- Leigh Dodds, http://writetheweb.com/read.php?item=37
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