Apple Will Open Source Its Rendezvous Network Service
CNET News.com reports that Apple Computer will "open source" its Rendezvous network device discovery technology. This software allows Macintosh computers to find each other on a local area network without the owners fiddling with network-related control panels.
This is definitely an enabling technology that must be seen to be appreciated. But, the real interesting aspect of the announcement is the attitude of the Apple spokesman quoted in the article. He is reported to have said, "If you don't have it proliferate, it's the sound of one hand clapping." When companies do this, they are thinking that their technology is a platform for additional services, and not just a discrete software product.