Archive of UserLand's first discussion group, started October 5, 1998.

scriptingNews outline for 9/3/2000

Author:Dave Winer
Posted:9/3/2000; 9:22:49 AM
Topic:scriptingNews outline for 9/3/2000
Msg #:20765
Prev/Next:20764 / 20766

Security hole closed 

If you're running Frontier, please update manila.root asap.

A user reported a hole today, we verified and closed it.

A security alert will go out tomorrow, in the meantime, please update asap.

RSS evolution 

Chuck Shotton has several recommendations for the evolution of RSS. Here's the baseline spec for RSS 0.91 that I wrote in June 2000, for reference. It's still open for feedback and suggestions for its evolution. I also wrote a draft for guidelines for successor(s) to RSS 0.91.

Austrian weblogs story 

Last week I was interviewed by an Austrian radio network about weblogs. The interview transcript along with lots of other interviews with German-speaking webloggers is ready. I can't read it of course. Wish I could.

Dougherty reviews the iPaq 

O'Reilly's Dale Dougherty has an in-depth review of Compaq's iPaq. I got a demo of one last week, and he's right, it begs you to own it.

Working on Manila 

I finally got around to revising the What is Manila? page. It hadn't be updated since Manila shipped in December last year. So much has happened since then, I want the site to reflect that.

One area that's sorely lacking is screen shots showing Manila in use, by an author or designer, updating his or her site, or designing it. The screen shots I have show very early Manila sites, which are not nearly as interesting as the sites that are in operation now.

You can help, by taking a screen shot of your site being edited. Upload it as a Gem and post a pointer, or send it to me via email, along with a URL to your site. I'd love to create a gallery, a sort of family album of Manila sites, showing newbies, visually, what it's like to work on a Manila site.

If possible, show some corner or niche of the product that you like or find interesting. Editing a preference, sending a bulletin, posting a Gem or picture. Whatever you like. The more variety and depth the better. Thanks!

Weblogs in Radio UserLand 

Last night we shipped the bits that turn Radio UserLand into an easy weblog authoring tool. Jake wrote the initial docs, I'm doing a pass over them this morning, to explain how Radio UserLand relates to other simple static weblog tools and why weblogs belong in a music program.

One answer, which won't appear in the docs, that I'd like to share with Scripting News readers is "It's the community, dummy!" Of course. By now that theme should be almost automatic.

People who think music is a niche application for the Web are just as wrong as the people who thought talking movies were a fad in the early 20th century. Music is part of who we are. I don't doubt that a few years from now we'll look back at The Silent Web as a strange thing.

"Hey Grandma, is it true that the Internet didn't have music in the early days?"

Blades of grass 

Martin Spernau has a Radio UserLand weblog going. It works, but Martin found a few glitches. We're listening.

Shots and quotes 

Ken Dow posted a screen shot of the Edwards site being edited in Manila.

Piet Seiden has a site for Danish students. Screen shot. He reminded me that one of the cool things about Manila is that it is localizable. I must remember to get that onto the feature list. Not much Web software has gotten to that level of commercialization.

Doc Searls: "The Internet isn't just another business development. It's a monster meteor that has smacked into the world of business and pushed out a great tsunami of demand. The Net equips demand not just with more ways to buy, but more ways to talk. Now Demand has email. Demand has browsers. And starting this week, demand has Manila: a way to talk — to publish — right through the browser itself. Now more than ever, Demand can supply more information than Supply itself. And in much more credible voices." Doc Gets It.

Personality 

Since my personality comes up every once in a while, I thought I'd comment on it, it's probably one of the few things I have not commented on often enough.

It may shock you to hear that I am a nasty arrogant motherfucker from NY. I live in California, so that's softened me a bit, since I've gotten massage training and do breathwork on a regular basis. I also believe in being conscious whenever possible, and not freaking out when something appears that seems dangerous, but actually is just a bunch of zeros and ones traveling over communication lines. I try, but I'm just human, and often go into trances, and forget to compare my dream with what's really going on. But I'm getting better at the consciousness thing, as time goes by.

Disclaimer: "It's even worse than it appears."

So if you point a finger at me saying I'm nasty, I'll agree, so don't bother. Or go ahead if it makes you feel good. ";->"

But I create really interesting software, have been doing that for years, and my writing helps stir the mud and gets people thinking. That's all I hope to do.

When I die, I don't expect a lot of people to say "He was such a nice guy!" I do hope people say "He created some cool software, had courage, and stood for good causes."

BTW, I actually have already written the text for my gravestone. It goes like this. "He's not diggin anymore!"

For now at least, Murphy-willing, I'm still diggin!

PS 

My friends remind me that I'm actually a Sweet Jew from NY. I have a big laugh and a big heart, if you overlook the grandiose statements I make sometimes. In my mind sometimes I am a hardass motherfucker. And whitebread VC-types often feel threatened by me. But I think that has more to do with the fact that I know my stuff and they don't. Whatever. Whole people are so hard to characterize. Have a great evening and if you're in the US, have a great holiday tomorrow.



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