- From: Kynn Bartlett <kynn@reef.com>
- Date: Fri, 15 Jun 2001 13:42:49 -0700
- To: www-annotation@w3.org
Hi folks-- I've been following some of the media accounts of Microsoft's new "Smart Tags" feature in Windows XP's IE 6. [In short, Smart Tags allows Microsoft to display different-looking links to MS-chosen resources around specific words, when enabled -- basically, it's a crude third-party metadata system.] There has been a lot of backlash against this idea in the media, including from the Wall Street Journal and others. While some of this is merely that people tend to dislike ANYTHING Microsoft does, a lot of the sentiments seem to be actually directed at the concept of third-party metadata annotations and links. A lot of people -- primarily web designers or web content authors -- seem to be incensed over the idea that a third party could provide information "on a page" (as displayed by a user agent) which was not placed there by the original author. To those people, Annotea is just as evil and wrong as Smart Tags. Anyone have any thoughts on this, and what effects this type of reaction will have upon the eventual widespread adoption of the Semantic Web? Is the developer backlash against Smart Tags a sign that the SW may never be accepted? Discuss. ;) --Kynn -- Kynn Bartlett <kynn@reef.com> Technical Developer Liaison Reef North America Accessibility - W3C - Integrator Network Tel +1 949-567-7006 ________________________________________ BUSINESS IS DYNAMIC. TAKE CONTROL. ________________________________________ http://www.reef.com
Received on Friday, 15 June 2001 16:48:21 UTC