Internet browser to be made inferior

[m_the0ry]

Okay, the subject was a hook, but this really may completely revolutionize the internet (plus bring a larger market share back to yahoo from google).

http://radar.oreilly.com/archives/2007/02/pipes_and_filte.html

I found this a fascinating read. I really don't see any reason for me to "browse" the internet when I can have all of my favorite pages routing their RSS feeds straight to one simple GUI.

Note: Yahoos official pipes website( http://pipes.yahoo.com/) was closed because of huge bandwidth usage as they made the press release

[madnak]

I don't really have a problem with browsing from page to page. Moreover, while I spend a lot of time at certain "favorite" sites, much of my browsing is eclectic and I don't have any consistent pattern. I don't see myself saving any time with this.

[FortunaMaximus]

The dumber and easier to use an app is, the more profitable it is, no?

How long until the return of touchscreens? /images/graemlins/confused.gif

[m_the0ry]

Functionality and ease of use are not always inversely proportional. RSS feeds are very flexible and are built on the familiar computational theory of modularity. Web pages being treated as 'objects' rather than as 'forms' is a revolutionary websurfing experience. There is increased functionality AND increased ease of use from this perspective.

Yahoo pipes has implementation for shell scripting and gui customization. The shell scripting looks to be quite useful. You can script an RSS feed to constantly search Ebay for a particular item you want and pop up with items when one is entered. You can script a message to pop up every time you get a message on your favorite social networking site. The list goes on.

[MaxWeiss]

I'm not a techie and the link didn't work. What does this mean in plain english for idiots like me???

[madnak]

I'm not seeing the ease of use angle, here. Can you explain how this is easier than a browser? I'm not denying the utility of RSS feeds, or the value of increased flexibility and abstraction, but I also see no reason to stop using my browser.

[Alex-db]

I agree with madnak, I can't see what this is for.

I look regularly at plenty of websites, and consider myself fairly technically minded (thought certainly not a programer or anything) but I can't work out from this what its use is.

Can anyone give an example of an ideal user of this, and what they would be doing on-screen to receive the benefit?

[Phil153]

Reasons this won't become big:

1. It requires site cooperation in providing the feeds. Sites want control over their content - many won't support a system that filters out advertising and targeted content.

2. It's difficult and time consuming to set up. The web and browswer are already well evolved for one click access. This has no chance of becoming big with non techies - 80% of people still use IE for [censored] sake, a year after firefox left it in the dust.

3. Similar things already exist - for example you can arrange feeds on a personalized google or yahoo page. They've never become particularly popular.

4. I don't actually see it doing anything new - it seems like they're trying to sell the software equivalent of a manilla folder. Cute idea, but most people won't care. They like a bit of mess.

[Alex-db]

[ QUOTE ]
Reasons this won't become big:
2. This has no chance of becoming big with non techies - 80% of people still use IE for [censored] sake, a year after firefox left it in the dust.


[/ QUOTE ]

I agreed with your other points and have judged from the tone that this is the best one... since I can't see any advantage/difference to using Firefox, and you're implying that one is obvious /images/graemlins/smile.gif

[CORed]

Pardon my hijack, but Microsoft has, IMO, taken a giant step backward with IE7. Yes they have added tabbed browsing, and improved security somewhat but they replaced the nice, usable interface of the older versions and made it ugly and awkward. The old version of IE, for all of its flaws, had a pretty decent user interface, which Firefox wisely copied, for the most part, while putting it on top of a solid technical foundation without most of the gaping security holes of IE.