[REBOL] REALLY DISCOVER THE POWER OF REBOL Re:(6)
From: ryanc:iesco-dms at: 22-Sep-2000 9:57
I must agree your "tapping the keg" scenario was probably was a
considerable factor in the earlier years. I believe we all agree REBOL
could use a killer app too.
What is the next killer app? Don't know. Napster is the current. This
makes me think...
Gnutilla is currently wounded from growing pains, Napster's fate
questionable, and all other sorts of peer file sharing are gaining in
popularity. I also sense a high demand for collaborative work
environments. Combining the two, like that BeOS app mentioned a while ago,
is a strong mixture. I don't know if such an app is possible/feasible to
create with REBOL, but since it would run on so many platforms, its
guaranteed a smidgen of popularity. If released before Gnutilla is fixed,
the #2 position is possible. #2 position in peer file sharing would likely
carry over into #1 position in collaborative work environments.
Collaborative work environment
is something you can achieve, here I go
again, "first in mind."
Gnutilla's popularity I suspect is strongly attributable to it running on
Linux, being open source, and supporting any file. I suppose having Gnu in
the name helps allot too. Making ours run on Linux, open source, and any
file support are givens, but having Gnu in the name raises some questions.
Do you want to look like a copycat? Is their a more popular name?
Wars of attrition...
(AOL - everybody) is smaller than (anybody + AOL)
I am sure all of you know the story of the instant messaging wars. Such
attrition tactics are proven to level the playing field, and as we have
seen with greedy companies, level the battle field too. Being cross
network is a superior feature.
I am not recommending we do this yet, I would like to consider other
options before I make my decision. It may not even be a feasible to create
this program using REBOL, we may not have the resources to complete it
quickly enough, and their could be a better idea. Take in mind Gnutilla's
not the only competition either, at least 20 others. But, with the
Gnutilla network on its knees and Napster's uncertain future, this would be
a good time to step in.
Lets here some other ideas and punch some holes in this one.
--Ryan
[news--ted--husted--com] wrote:
> > Java came in later in the game, successfully aquiring the cross
> platform category, but too late and under equiped to gain popularity
> anywhere else. Such as my father always says, "a day late and a dollar
> short."
>
> Java was actually developed and available for many years before it
> became popular. My point is that it became popular when Sun used to to
> developed a working browser. And bang ... it took off. That's what
> REBOL needs, a useful application that people can point to and say "it
> works!"
>
> >PERL was created awhile before Java, and I would expect had "first in
> mind" to many of us for many categories,
>
> Again, my point here is not being able to hide the source hasn't
> stopped people from developing killer Perl applications.The fact that
> Perl is ridiculous and ugly didn't stop them either. What started them
> is that Larry began by writing useful, working applications, and people
> followed his lead. In contrast, Carl began by writing very cool test
> programs, and so that's been the REBOL status quo ever since.
>
> A good example is the List Archiver at REBOL.ORG. It uses some very
> cool technology, which I barely understand, to archive and index the
> messages. Unfortunately, the script is quick and dirty, and difficult
> to abstract into a toolkit or port to another site. Which is a pity,
> since it could easily be used to archive any type of email, not just
> the REBOL list.
>
> -Ted.
--
Ryan Cole
Programmer Analyst
www.iesco-dms.com
707-468-5400
We are what we think. All that we are arises
with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make
the world. --Buddha
