The next version of Windows, Longhorn, will support RRS – the framework of blogs and podcasting – in a big way. What’s more, they are releasing their new RSS specs into Creative Commons, which means it will be open to all. Lawrence Lessig blessed it in a video thanking Microsoft for doing so. This is an serious big deal earthquake.
Internet Explorer will support RSS feeds that will be searchable. These feeds will reside in a common open repository that any Windows application can use. Part of their new RRS spec includes lists.
What does this mean to the non-tech user? Lots.
You’ll be able to –
Do a MSN search, say “antiwar podcasts”, and effortlessly turn it into an RSS feed that you can access in your browser, Outlook, Word, or whatever; a feed that is updated everytime a new antiwar podcast appears.
Amazon wish lists that are searchable and sortable so you can track real time what everyone wants for Xmas.
Download calendars from websites and have them appear in Outlook or any other calendar program, with the dates and times automatically updated if they change.
Create screensavers out of photo blogs.
Microsoft demo’ed the above apps today in their first public showing of IE 7.0. These apps already exist!
Here’s another idea. You are using Craigs List to look for an apartment. How about having a list of apartments that interest you automatically uploaded to your cell phone. Using RSS, this can happen.
Yeah, Microsoft is a Borg. Do they have their own agenda? Well, of course they do. But their initiative to release the new RRS spec into Creative Commons makes things open for all, and this is truly a big deal that will have impact for years to come.
PS More later. My brain is full right now!