Edited by author 08-04-2002 02:01 PM
Why does this come the closest to being the long-sought "killer app"?

As they say, it is free and easy. Many good things in life are.

A new page such as this, regarding a new topic, can be created in about twenty seconds.

It allows anyone who knows the URL of this page to jump in and offer a comment. There are no limits based on whether a participant has installed or has registered certain software. But since it is not a publicly-linked page, only those who are told about the page will be able to find it.

If a user wants to have an entirely private conversation using this technique, he can do so. These pages are excellent examples of what we refer to as "private pages in a public place".

Now, anyone who knows HTML and has rented server space can create such a page there, but allowing others to add visible comments on such a page requires the installation of special software, ususally Unix software on an Apache web server. Again, that is a barrier to entry.

It permits users to participate either by adding a comment to the web page or submitting a comment by e-mail. The use of multiple points of access is a major useability feature.

And the last point is a stylistic one: the practice of using tables, putting the name of the poster and the time of the post in one column and the text of the message in another, makes for a friendly and informative page-viewing environment.