Tentatively billing itself as the new Netscape, the Seattle- based Intermind Corp has launched its big idea for changing the way the Worldwide Web works. Its Intermind Communicator Software uses something the company has called ‘hypercommunications technology’ which take the form of distributed objects called ‘hyperconnectors’. Objects are placed on a Web server to which visitors to the site can, if they wish, subscribe. These so-called intelligent objects are customizable by the subscriber to filter whatever specific information the user requires, and the user can also retain his or her anonymity, if so desired. It’s a peer-to-peer model so there’s no need for a separate server. There is software on the desktop that both reads and writes hyperconnectors, which have the extension .con. By clicking on a hyperconnector on a Web site, the hyperconnector is downloaded to the client with the latest information about whatever the hyperconnector is related to; it could be a news item, a product, or a service. The hyperconnector is also customizable, so a user might only want one of the four or five products or services on offer, and in future would not get information about the rest. The software displays a message inside the browser, which may be either the Netscape Navigator or Internet Explorer, so the user can view the contents of the hyperconnector. The identity of the subscriber can be kept secret, the Internet Protocol address would not be available to the publisher, but demographic information can be obtained about the user for sales targeting purposes, according to the company. It’s available at the company’s site (www.intermind.com) for Windows95, 3.1 and NT. The Macintosh version went into beta two weeks ago. Intermind has some 35 companies already using hyperconnectors, including AT&T Wireless, Federal Express and was even used by the Dole/Kemp ’96 campaign. The software is free for the Internet, but intranet licenses have to paid for, though there are no prices yet.
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