IBM Spreads the developerWorks Love Through New 'Gizmos'

Published: September 11, 2007

by Alex Woodie

For years, IBM--and especially the IBM Web site--have been criticized as being slow, cumbersome, and difficult to navigate. With last week's introduction of four new "gizmos" for IBM's popular developerWorks Web site, Big Blue is showing that it's not a technological dinosaur and that it has a few Web 2.0 moves of its own.

Last week IBM announced it is using syndication technology to allow Yahoo!, Google, and NetVibes subscribers to easily access any podcast, forum, blog, wiki, story, briefing, or tutorial hosted on developerWorks. The new content delivery mechanism hooks into Yahoo!'s Widget, Google's Gadget, and NetVibes' Module technology.

Specifically, four new avenues of content were announced. The first is IBM developerWorks community spaces. Users can select one of the 20 or so community topics--such as the one on Web 2.0 technology or Software as a Service (SaaS)-- and then, with a single click, they can export all of the related content as a Google Gadget or Yahoo! Widget that can be placed anywhere on the user's Web page.

IBM also released a "build your own feeds" application that allows users to export certain articles as Yahoo! Widgets, Google Gadgets, and NetVibes Modules, in addition to RSS and ATOM feeds. Likewise, a new Google Desktop Gadget allows users to view content and search the developerWorks Website right from their desktop. Lastly, IBM released an interface optimized for the Apple iPhone.

The new gizmos bring "technology resources to the user directly rather than the user having to search for this information," says Kathy Mandelstein, IBM's director of worldwide developer programs. "This new feature will also allow small businesses and early adopters with no programming skills to take advantage of all the technology resources IBM has to offer to help businesses build innovative solutions."

For more information on developer gizmos, or to subscribe to them, see www.ibm.com/developerworks/dwgizmos.

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