Intel Unveils Digg-like Clone. Why?
by
on October 08, 2007,
The folks at Intel do a lot right for us tech-loving folk. They offer more powerful chipsets with ever increasing efficiency, allowing us to enjoy our Web apps and high-def Web video with greater speed and for longer stretches of time each and every year. It’s really a pretty great arrangement, if you ask me. Though they don’t get much time in the limelight, their work is certainly very much appreciated.
That said, they’re capable of mistakes. Their latest involves, surprisingly enough, the development of a website.
The website in profile is called Cool Software (all little stale, would you agree?), and is a Digg-like “online community” created by the company for the purpose of sharing “information about new up-and-coming applications and (software) companies.” Hmm. Am I mistaken, or does Digg have such a category of its own?
Furthermore, if Digg does indeed have a place for such finds to be shared with the greater social-news-loving world, why would Intel opt to create a duplicate?
Beats me. Intel, a crucial piece of the silicon era for decades already, has specialized in hardware and hardware only for nearly its entire tenure. Why try to break the mold now? And more so, why do it with the debut of a Digg clone? Seems ridiculous, does it not?
Look, I’m sure their intentions were good, and hey, the company hasn’t dug itself any kind of hole with this project. The whole thing allegedly cost ‘em $40k to develop, and that’s chump change for the chipmaker. Less than chump change. It’s a mite atom in the company’s bucket of stones and boulders.
Nonetheless, it seems a complete waste of time, considering it’s bringing almost nothing inherently new to the table. If anything, the company should’ve just given Digg a decent infusion to have it expand on its own aggregator, put out a press release on the matter, have a post published on the Digg Blog, and be done with it. That would’ve been a far better use of the company’s cash, I think.
I’ll tell you this. I’ll be mighty shocked if this Cool Software site turns out to be a big hit. It’s got as much a chance of going huge as AMD does of subverting its dominant position in the chip world. That’s right. No chance. No chance at all.
Sorry, Intel. Had to say it.
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Jaime A. Restrepo
Opensource
Michael Fidler
Sigh. You know, I think this may be another example of a company who wants to be known as ‘cool’ or a company that just wants a piece of the social network, user-generated action. I really don’t think Intel needs a site like this and for all intensive purposes, Digg practically has a category for this stuff already.
I wonder if they did this cool software site so they could rely on users to perform the Research And Development instead of paying out the wazoo for R&D.
40k to develop? what the hell -it’s a pligg.com installation! they even left the little “P” logo in place if you pull up the user list..very sloppy - and most offensive thing on the whole site: they do not even credit pligg or leave the “powered by pligg” credit in place! nice move intel…
My personal opinion is that it is actually a mistake to call this site a Digg clone actually. Digg is the site to submit news while CoolSW is intended for direct links to software and applications.
Besides, it belongs to the Intel Software Network and I guess it is more intended to animate developers’ discussions that they already have in the blogs and forums. It’s more of a wish to provide users with something trendy - not to compete with Digg of course. I do not even think it will be used to popularize applications, it really looks like intended to be an additional tool for developers only.
I can see where your coming from Svet, but I think Paul called it a Digg clone because of the similarities between the way users submit posts for a specific category.
I also agree with your statement about Intel wanting to provide something trendy which is what I tried to explain in my last comment. Intel isn’t the only major company trying to hop on trendy bandwagons but in the end, I don’t Intel needed to develop a site like this and it was a waste of time and a waste of cash.
Yes, I understand the whole Digg clone term, of course - after all, Pligg is intended to produce Digg clones
And I did not want to argue, really - only wanted to draw attention to the fact that it serves a different purpose of Intel’s software community. I don’t think it even needs to compete with Digg and publicize the website at all, it only needs to engage the developers more intensely, that would be perfectly enough for them, I think. I don’t even understand why they needed all the blog coverage they got for the site - it looks like the software developers they already work with are engaged enough already.
Yes, it’s not entirely fair to label the Cool Software site a Digg clone, as its purpose is somewhat different that Digg’s. And one could possibly argue that, ideally, Cool Software allows Intel’s developer community to focus on the subject of software (both Web-based and not) news and updates and whatnot without distraction.
Perhaps it doesn’t need to be popular either. But a certain “critical mass” should be attained to make it work as best it can as a hub of discussion and so forth. For example, Digg works as well as it does BECAUSE there are so many taking part in the experiment.
Paul, I can see we have arrived to understanding on the clone thing after all
You know, I have spent some time today browsing Intel’s community website (not only the CoolSW but other resources, too) and I actually think developers seeking to cooperate with Intel are not in a bad position at all - they have a nice platform with forums, blogs, various tips and resources and now the voting site. You know, if I were in charge of the Software Network in Intel, I would have made this network restricted to the software partners only - that would have made the discussions within the network much more valuable, I believe. And by opening this to the general public, they will have too many people registering only to game the system and promote their apps to the first page while this site is hot. Honestly, not the best decision, I believe.
@svetlana - i one hundred percent agree - this should have been a closed registration site with perhaps only public viewing enabled…
Dave, now that you support my point of view, I start to think that it is actually an attempt to build some buzz around the company.
By the way, it is pretty funny to discuss Intel when sitting in a building where Intel’s office occupies 3 floors here in Novosibirsk
I did not even know they had a development center here until I came to the same building for a business meeting.
Here is a great Pligg site
http://www.diggtr.com