Re: [IP] Google's Autolink: smart tags revisited?

[Andrew Pam <xanni@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Thu, Feb 17, 2005 at 07:49:07AM -0500, Dave Farber wrote:
> ------ Forwarded Message
> From: Paul Robichaux <paul@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Date: Thu, 17 Feb 2005 06:30:48 -0500
> To: Dave Farber <dave@xxxxxxxxxx>
> Subject: Google's Autolink: smart tags revisited?
> 
> MS' implementation of a feature called "smart tags" generated a lot of hate
> and discontent because it gave MS a way to add links to other people¹s
> content. The uproar was such that they decided to turn off the feature in
> beta, and eventually chose not to ship it. Is Google doing the same thing
> with their Autolink feature? Looks that way to me. A more detailed
> discussion is at  http://www.e2ksecurity.com/archives/001300.html.
> 
> ------ End of Forwarded Message

Both the MS "smart tags" and the Google "Autolinks" are limited
implementations of a decades long standing feature of many other
hypermedia systems but sadly missing from the web: extrinsic (as opposed
to the present embedded) links.  The problem is that those implementations
are apparently (or at least perceived to be) single-source.  Deployment
of an open standard which would permit users to apply their choice of
external link databases would resolve the complaints about one company
choosing what links are applied.  Let's hope we get something supported
by browsers soon - I for one have been waiting since the 1980s!

Regards,
	Andrew Pam
-- 
mailto:xanni@xxxxxxxxxx                         Andrew Pam
http://www.xanadu.com.au/                       Chief Scientist, Xanadu
http://www.glasswings.com.au/                   Partner, Glass Wings
http://www.sericyb.com.au/                      Manager, Serious Cybernetics