New Windows XP Feature Can Re-Edit Others' Sites

[Matt Jensen]

On Thu, 7 Jun 2001, Jeff Barr wrote:

> Perhaps Microsoft (Hi, Stutz) could choose to separately
> allow enabling smart tags and this hypothetical replacement capability.
> ...
> The feature pointed out in the article would essentially add some
> content-sensitive implicit links to the document. I suspect that
> third-parties are going to exploit this feature in some interesting
> and annoying ways.

We can already imagine some security and UI issues that need to be nailed
down before MSFT ships this.  Smart tag COM objects from third parties
OR Microsoft should have to be signed, with a manifest describing what
actions it takes, require user installation, etc.

But assuming (cough, cough) that it can be made clean and safe, it offers
some intriguing possibilities.  Just choose not to install Microsoft's
smart tag objects, and instead install ones from The Onion, Suck, Salon,
the NRA, or wherever you like.  If rewriting is disallowed, it could be
quite safe and useful to have additional links made available from sources
*you* trust. 

And it's not quite a case of putting blinders on and ignoring people
(Dems/Reps) you disagree with, because you're adding links, not removing
them.  A smart implementation would have, in the popup box of new links, a
little icon to the side of each that is the Favorites icon for the web
site whose smart tag object is providing that new link.  So you can mouse
over "partial-birth abortions", get the popup window, and choose a link
clearly marked as being from Planned Parenthood, or Focus on the Family,
etc.  How broad your collection of Smart Tags objects is becomes an
indicator of your open-mindedness.  It reminds me of the "Seals of
Approval" idea of the Interpedia project, circa 1995.

Without the proper security and defaults Smart Tags could be terrible. But
with them, it could be pretty neat.


-Matt Jensen
 http://mattjensen.com
 http://NewsBlip.com
 Seattle