Let's Do the Time Warp
By Molly E. Holzschlag
Web designers and developers are traveling at warp speed toward an unknown future. Unusual acronyms whiz past our heads, looking much like alien creatures with three- or four-letter bodies, speaking unfamiliar languages and negotiating obscure protocols.
While working long hours creating Web sites, developers may be aware that there's an alternative device revolution taking place. The culture kings are telling us so Steve Case recently made a public commitment to creating devices for the wireless Web. "This is the second Internet revolution," Case said in his keynote speech at Spring Internet World 2000. "You should have simple devices that make connecting to the Internet simple and easy."
What's more, forecasters say that by 2002, most people will be accessing Web content using handheld devices instead of PCs.
Disconcerting? You bet. Only a handful of developers are actually working to deliver content to alternative devices, and the rest of us are wondering how to negotiate these alien lands.
Demystifying Future Delivery Systems
An overview of these new technologies will help you get comfortable with the things you need to know. The sidebar titled "Alternative Device Acronyms" introduces a number of technologies that may seem alien to many readers. Some readers will be familiar with one or two of these, and a few of you might already be working with them. Take a moment to view or review some of the languages and protocols that you could be working with in the coming years.<>
