IDG's InfoWorld Offers RSS Aggregator to Site Visitors; Expands IT Participation in the RSS Community:"Today, InfoWorld.com announced the availability of an InfoWorld-branded news aggregator using RSS/XML technology from Feedster, a search services innovator. InfoWorld's reader allows access to multiple content feeds from InfoWorld, technology vendors, and other RSS content providers. The InfoWorld-branded reader expands the use of RSS from early adopters to mainstream technology buyers that make up a significant portion of InfoWorld's site traffic. The InfoWorld-branded news aggregator is available at http://infoworld.feedster.com. "

Sounds like a big deal, but I don't get it.  If I visit the branded aggragetor all I get is a page with a handful of InfoWorld feeds, plus the usual Feedster features of being able to search the feeds.  Not that exciting.  I was expecting more, though I don't know what. 

Custom aggregators aimed at specific groups are fine, heck I even run one, but they are no real substitute for running your own.  At best they serve as an introduction to the area, at worst they underwhelm users into disregarding the medium as not very useful. The only time I've really won converts to aggregation was when I could show them specifically what it could do for them.  I don't think a bunch of context-less InfoWorld feeds does that.

7:07:49 PM    comment []  

Microsoft Fixes (Some of) IE's Problems. Microsoft decided not to wait for February 10, its next mega-patch due date, and roll out three much-awaited Internet Explorer fixes on Monday. [Microsoft Watch from Mary Jo Foley]

I haven't had any of these turn up on my XP boxes yet.

6:54:21 PM    comment []  

Universities Speed Up Open-Source Plans. In the hopes of gaining more control over their infrastructure, more university IT administrators are accelerating plans to migrate to open-source technology in the data center. [eWEEK Technology News

Mentions George Washington University and Cornell as 2 instances where Linux is replacing Microsoft in the university data center.

8:19:52 AM    comment []