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Re: WWW Conferencing - Forum One Report
A few comments off the top of my head ...
This report was obviously written from a business point of view. It seems
to assume that the commercialization of the web will continue to its
bitter end. I don't agree with this; while this a trend, it like other
trends will slow, and some equilibrium will be reached. Applying this to
the article, I don't think that money will be the motivation for all that
happens with web conferencing. For example, I'll have to disagree on this
basis with the assertion that moderated forums will exist only in a
pay/membership (virtual) environment.
Further, the assertion that technology will cause great friction between
nntp-based and http-based forums will not happen to the extent assumed in
the article. The concepts underlying web-based, nntp-based, and
email-based communities are different enough for them to coexist for quite
some time. There are lots of people on the web, and they will have
different preferences. Heck, telnet-based BBSes are still around (though
maybe not quite as popular).
Finally, a few words on compatibility. There seems to be this inexorable
drive to make everything compatible. The development of Java, the
agreement between Micro$oft and Apple, the establishment of MIME types all
speak to this effect. However, new technologies are being developed, and
new formats are being created to deliver them. When two or more companies
work on some technology independently, incompatibilies are bound to arise.
As a silly example, the two most popular HTTP browsers cannot completely
agree on standards, and the supporting companies are fighting to make
their way of things *the* way of things.
Finally, another point to think about. Before the early '90s, most of us
had never even heard of email. To us, snail mail, telephone, telegraphs,
and personal visition were the means of communication (ok, maybe you can
even throw in fax ... I'm not sure how long that has been around). Now we
have email, http, nntp, and so forth. Who knows what will happen next.
Perhaps a new technology will make these forms of communication obsolete.
Thanks for bearing with the ramblings.
john
http://sunsite.unc.edu/smiley/
Eschew obfuscation.
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