Anil Dash has a very interesting idea: “The microcontent client is an extensible desktop application based around standard Internet protocols that leverages existing web technologies to find, navigate, collect, and author chunks of content for consumption by either the microcontent browser or a standard web browser. The primary advantage of the microcontent client over existing Internet technologies is that it will enable the sharing of meme-sized chunks of information using a consistent set of navigation, user interface, storage, and networking technologies. In short, a better user interface for task-based activities, and a more powerful system for reading, searching, annotating, reviewing, and other information-based activities on the Internet.”
This is a terrific article. It is long and has quite a few contextual links, so set aside some time to read it and then think about it.
A few thoughts from my side after reading the article:
– the ideas dovetail nicely into what we are doing on the Digital Dashboard
– the microcontent client could be a “killer app” on the Linux desktop
– the Mac is where there is some innovative work happening on the desktop
– many of the components already exist: the key is integration, not invention
– the 3-pane approach present in apps like Outlook Express is the way to go
– the microcontent client is an idea whose time has come: we have to do it
