The first major deployment of push technology on the Web. Introduced in 1996 and supported by ad revenues, PointCast provided Internet-based news and customized information to the desktop. In 1999, LaunchPad Technologies acquired the product and turned it into EntryPoint, which later became Infogate. See Infogate.
The PointCast Screen
PointCast "pushed" a lot of information into the user's machine. Its successor product kept the details on the Web and provided an "entry point" to them. (Screen examples courtesy of EntryPoint, Inc.)
The PointCast Screen
PointCast "pushed" a lot of information into the user's machine. Its successor product kept the details on the Web and provided an "entry point" to them. (Screen examples courtesy of EntryPoint, Inc.)
 | Reproduced with permission from Computer Desktop Encyclopedia. Copyright (c) 1981-2009 The Computer Language Company Inc. All rights reserved. |
Additional Resources
- Chirp displays a social screen saver
- If you studied your ancient Web history, you may remember PointCast, which pushed Web content feeds prior to RSS to a user's screen. In its prime during 1996, PointCast had more than 200 employees, 1.5 million users, nearly $50 million in venture funding and even some revenue. By 2000, PointCast...
- Blog posts 2008-01-24
- Skype, SecondLife and the "TryMe Virus" phenomenon
- I take great pleasure in reading passionate pieces where the writer calls attention to faulty and widespread thinking. (I like to write such pieces myself but I give props to other thought leaders no prob.)Writing on Valleywag, author and frequent conventional wisdom debunker Clay Shirky really has hit the...
- Blog posts 2006-12-13
- Opera preview puts widgets on stage
- Opera preview puts widgets on stageThe link doesn't work.The link you've given at labs.opera.com doesn't work. The beta forums at opera says nothing about a preview #2 available either.Opera Leads the way!!!!Though I am a Firefox user, I still have to admit that Opera is a better browser. Glad...
- Discussion threads 2006-02-05
- Bringing movie magic to Net marketing
- Bringing movie magic to Net marketingI remember PointcastIt was so popular it crippled our corporate network. Everyone was using it and as a result there was no bandwidth left to run the business.Hopefully this crap will run on a unique port that we can block. Otherwise our normal...
- Discussion threads 2005-07-25
- Apple: Widget writers wanted
- Apple: Widget writers wantedSounds like Active Desktop... only 7 years later.Active Desktop didn't fare so well for Windows users... let's see how well Dashboard does on the Mac side...Or Pointcast, 8 years beforeI bet future stories will be:Company X sues Apple for patent infringement. The patent dates from 1999.Apple settles...
- Discussion threads 2004-12-09
Neighboring Terms
Premier Vendor Content Whitepapers, webcasts & resources from our Power Center Sponsors
- Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online - Free Six-Month Trial for Eligible Organizations
-
Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online provides fast online access, simple contact management and better sales performance for a low monthly cost - the best value on the market today.
- Learn more about the free, six-month trial offer>>
- The best support in the Linux business
-
If Linux is going to power your mission-critical applications, you'd better have the best support known to business. Novell was rated the top provider of Linux technical support.
- Learn more >>
- Learn more about tools to grow your business
-
The Business Essentials Guide provides you useful tools and templates to help grow your business and save you time with automated shipping solutions.
- Save time with the UPS Business Essentials Guide
- Reduce risk. Reduce complexity. Increase reliability.
-
A simplified IT environment isn't just less complex. It's also more reliable. Standardize on a single Linux platform with SUSE Linux Enterprise from Novell, and get the world's most interoperable Linux
- Learn more >>
-
-
Smart Tech
Expert advice on innovations in healthcare and the green technologies that make it happen.
Find out more
-
Smart Business
Discussion and advice on management issues that revolve around making your world smarter and more useful.
More Smart Advice
-
Smart People
The best and worst moves in the management and strategy trenches.
Learn More
