“Push technology
...This is about companies like the PointCast Network, which launched its software with a hype storm in 1996. The hype focused on how this technology could “push” news and other information to computer desktops with no user intervention.
However, most users never became excited about push.”
Complete and utter BS. Pointcast was in fact so successful at first that it was blocked by network admins. The problem was that as Pointcast ‘pushed’ some bit of news it was received by every Pointcast user simultaneously with horrific effects on the networks of corporations whose Internet gateways weren’t ready for streaming anything (this is 1996).
Of course, once it was impossible for people to get ‘push’ news at work (nearly nobody had broadband at home and it was a big strain for a dialup connection) Pointcast went from instant success to dust very rapidly.
Apparently ComputerWorld writers don’t know how to research their own back articles.
I was once greeted by an hysterical IT guy who told me I was using 99% of the organization's network capabilities. I couldn't believe I was doing it, until I noted that, well yes, I was steaming a Smashing Pumpkins concert.
I was in a weird position. They wanted me to use read, use, and write about new technologies as part of my job in tech policy, but this wasn't the only time I got in trouble for doing something I 'wasn't supposed to be doing' w/the office technology.