Netscape has attacked the Internet community once again with their own media "push" client. What is push? Push is the term that's been coined for "pushing" information to your desktop, rather than you having to download it yourself. Instead of clicking a link in your web-browser to open a page, push brings the pages to you. Netcaster uses a "channel" system to bring you information quickly and efficiently. By subscribing to a channel, you're automatically updated at specified intervals when information is changed.
Many organizations, such as CNNfn, CBS.SportsLine, Wired, and ABC News, have already hopped onto the bandwagon with their own channels (see right). The advantages are immense. Channel content can be updated whenever the channel administrator chooses. Netcaster offers a "WebTop" view which places your channel under all other windows, allowing easy access to up-to-date information right on your desktop. Subscribed channel content can also be downloaded online and viewed off-line if you choose to do so. Netcaster uses a mix of Java, HTML and Dynamic HTML to present channels, so using channels is just as easy as navigating a Web site.
Push technology has only recently been born, but Netcaster's future is already bright. It will be very interesting to see the route that this new Internet technology will take.
