DaveNet 1997: Push
People are excited because push is like email and email is even bigger and more universal than the web. If push technology can take email-like stuff to a higher level, software growth can happen and much money can be made. 2/23/97Anything new? No. It's the same battle that's been fought since CPUs first crawled onto motherboards and said Hello World. Yes, it's another infinite loop. Along comes push! One more time. 2/25/97
One-way is not the way of the Internet. When one-way is promoted as the next wave, I see diversity being limited and control of expression being invited in. I see it as something other than the Internet. The One-Way Net? Sounds like TV! 2/25/97
The art of upgrading is still evolving and chaotic and in many ways, demeaning. So what if there are new pipes that can carry frequent upgrades? What silver bullet do the push proponents possess to keep things from breaking? 2/25/97
Push can be a force for more powerful systems that make computers even more effective for communication. Or it can be used to reduce computer networks to a uniform, flat, 1984-like world where no one dares to try out a new idea, even in private, for fear that someone who doesn't like them will know what they're thinking about. 2/25/97
I still believe in the web, after all these years. 2/25/97
As it's currently implemented push is really pull. A loop you keep spinning around until you realize that all that's being done is net-enabling new clients that propose to replace web browsers. Not a big deal until a compelling new client comes along. That will be news. The protocols themselves are not interesting. 2/27/97
Haven't we learned anything? Go back to 1994 and read Bill Gates vs The Internet then read Que Sera Sera. This industry needs a refresher course on why the Internet became the thing to contend with. It's clearly forgotten the lessons. So much FUD, so little substance. Same old same old. 2/27/97
No, of course not, there's nothing interesting on the web. Until you stop and think. Well, yes, there is a lot of interesting stuff on the web. 3/3/97
The thing that's heavy about the web, unlike TV, is that it's real. A digital camera, a word processor, and some people, that's all it takes. The pages may not look incredibly great, but listen to what they're saying. 3/3/97
The bottom line, if you want simulated push, email is still the best bet. Sure it lacks the animated GIFs of web pages, but it's a great transport for ideas. And if you want real push, not simulated, your users need a fulltime net connection, and a powerful safe sandbox, something much richer than the caches that the current web browser vendors are providing, and more easily controlled than what Marimba is proposing. 4/25/97
After considering push, the web looks just right. Users can choose their own path thru the web, stories can link to other stories, and searchable databases can archive back issues. These are fundamental features of the web that are totally new and still mostly unexplored. 4/25/97
