last updated:16 Aug 2002 13: 33 Webword time, or 16 Aug 2002 18:33 UK time

Webword Statistics - Recent Comments (Comments added for week ending Sun 23 Dec 2001) | View Other Weeks

Microchips Under the Skin Offer ID, Raise Questions | Sun 23 Dec

(NY Times) When activated by a radio scanner, the chip would emit a radio signal of its own from under the skin that would transmit stored data to a nearby Internet-equipped computer or via the telephone, the company said. (Comments: You might need to be registered to read this article.)

Sun 23 Dec 11:24 | Jack Schonchin | I don't use New York Times links because they needlessly require you to register. That is a horrible precedent to set for a free service. Imagine if all news sites took that stance. NYT articles, especially Reuters repeats, can often be found at Yahoo.

Sun 23 Dec 15:22 | Frank Lynch | Funny, that: and I resent NYT articles not because they require you to register, but because they are free online. I wish they would charge! But no, they charge for old stuff, and not what's current.

Let's Kill the Hard Disk Icon | Wed 19 Dec

Why is it time to trash the hard disk icon? Because multiple desktops make it easier to organize data and add information about locations inside the computer.

Fri 21 Dec 09:28 | Jack Schonchin | My ideal interface would be a simple set of buttons to launch applications and a 'configuration' button for advanced users to tweak the OS. There would be no desktop (as we conceive of it) and no icons that we would spend time fiddling with so they are 'lined up nice and neat.' The user would not think about 'where' he is saving his files. Instead he would assign relationships for each file. For example, logo.eps would be assigned to my 'Logos' category. When I start a new project, say 'Project X,' I would assign logo.eps to that project too... sort of like how hyperlinks work. When I need to locate a file I could browse by the projects I've created, or conduct a search by file type, filename, project or date. I could also append notes to each file that would also be searchable. The search function would be an integral part of the OS, not a hidden feature like it is in Windows (most people don't know how to search their hard drive). There would be no hierarchy view of files and folders on the hard drive. The only file listing I would see is the list of projects I've created. (Again, if I need to do things like fiddle with program files, this would be an advanced option. Most users never need to touch it.)

Fri 21 Dec 15:53 | JB | Nice comment, JS! You could probably try this, using custom desktop managers out there (such as WinSpace). A whole crapload of them can be found at: http://pcdesktops.emuunlim.com

Information architecture versus graphic design | Mon 17 Dec

Much web design has suffered from an over reliance on graphic design principles. Too many graphic designers have tried to force the Web to be what it is not, in the process creating ineffective and sometimes unusable websites. Quality web design is driven by information architecture design principles. Graphic design should support these principles.

Tue 18 Dec 14:12 | Darin | One of the biggest problems is some advertising agencies/graphic designers who offer 'web design' and try to throw their print rules at the web and expect the same result. Assisting them in their quest are clients who don't know what they're asking for, and request graphic-laden sites that accomplish nothing. And the ad agency wants their money so badly they will do whatever the client asks for even if it sacrifices usability.

Google Catalog Search | Mon 17 Dec

Our exclusive Google Catalog Search includes the full content of hundreds of mail-order catalogs selling everything from industrial adhesives to clothing and home furnishings.

Tue 18 Dec 09:41 | Jack Schonchin | I gave it a test run... found it tremendously non-useful. I pity the 87% of Americans on slow modem connections who will find the experience grindingly slow, in addition to its lack of usefulness.

Tue 18 Dec 10:36 | bbrown | I thought so too until I tried searching. Search for something, anything and you'll quickly get a chill up your spine. The browsing is neat because you don't have to subscribe to a bunch of catalogs and you get exposure to catalogs you might not normally come across. The fine folks at Google have indexed every catalog and their search results show the front page of a catalog match, a picture of the individual page match, and then a subset of that individual page with the search terms highlighted IN THE IMAGE ITSELF. I'm not entirely sure how they do that but DAMN it is cool!

Tue 18 Dec 11:22 | Jack Schonchin | I guess I was disappointed because the catalogs I use were not included in Googles' database. In that respect, Google's website search was a much more effective option because it quickly found the web versions of the print catalogs I was looking for. I would much rather see Google offer a news site-only search. (Placing news links at the top of search results isn't enough. I'd prefer a search that only returns news links.) But then, I've already given Google enough free ideas, and never got the free t-shirt they promised. *whimper*

WebWord Comment | Wed 12 Dec

Ive been busy, busy, busy. I actually have a lot of good news to post, but I have not had the time. Im far behind in my email. So much, that I am embarrased. Unfortunately, Im going to be busy for several more days. At a minimum, Im going to Denver, Colorado and Sidney, Nebraska. Ill be visiting other places too. I expect to post some news this weekend. Thanks for hanging in there while I wrap these things up. Take care of yourself.

Mon 17 Dec 05:02 | Lyle | Yes, Conversant is a hosted solution, but still please consider them. Your fears about 'being disatisfied with' or 'the hosting company disappears' should not apply in the normal hosting company sense, as they are not a hosting company (in the normal sense of the word) but a custom development company and consulting company. I understand the advantage and the security of owning the software and being able to move to a new host, but I believe that the advantages that Macrobyte offer far outweigh that ability. (Also, I am not sure that wouldn't let you host the software and host it on your own host, I know for a fact that they have consulting clients that are doing just that). However (just to show that I am not totally fanatical) if it really is a Yahoo style links directory/portal you are looking for, then Conversant is not the best way of doing this. (It does however have a feature called WebOutlines, with which one can build a Yahoo-like portal that would do the job quite nicely for a human manageable amounts of links (for example if you didn't just want to list anybody, but only those you could keep track of/trust). Cheers Lyle

Mon 17 Dec 12:28 | dego | Why not have the web board here similar to that of Slashdot (www.slashdot.org), which promotes use of its format with its re-distributable Slash code (http://slashcode.com/faq.shtml#Slashcodecom0). Using this format, users can post stories, admins can approve stories, and moderators can score comments to mod a them up or down. Content will be fresh making the page content ever-dynamic. Here is a list of sites who are using the same codebase: http://slashcode.com/sites.pl It's worth some serious thought.

Mon 17 Dec 13:13 | Jack Schonchin | A basic drawback to hosted services is longevity. John is amassing a huge amount of data over what will surely be many years. This data only has value if it can be presented in a manageable form. Hosting, by its very nature, is temporary. You simply cannot count on any dot-com (or even brick 'n' mortar) company to be there for you in the future. Whatever John does, he should ensure that his data is not locked into a proprietary storage format so that he can port it when the time comes.