We are seriously contemplating a complete rewrite of the open source project KATO and ask that you help us decide which way is the right way to go.

KATO is all about saving time online by delegating tasks to KATO. Let KATO do the repetitive and boring work to find what you are looking for then do what you want it to do once KATO finds what you are looking for.

So, why should we redesign KATO now? Currently, the architecture is very focused on the notion of a repository of software agents. Each agent does one thing. The end user must schedule then configure an agent before running the engine. This requires that the end user must choose an agent and set up its parameters and events. The end user may even have to enter duplicate search criteria in order to run multiple agents on the same query. That doesn't sound very easy to us.

The end user isn't the only one with a difficult task in KATO. Because the current architecture is software agent focused, the developers sometimes have to write duplicitous code. You have to create a new agent even if what you are looking for is already being handled by another agent but what you want to do with it once you find it is different.

Please help us in this redesign effort so that we can get it right this time. I want you to participate in the ongoing discussion on this proposed redesign of KATO. I also want you to take this online survey to help us understand just what you are looking for in KATO.
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  1. Ran into this blog about the coming age of the smart personal assistant which is mostly a plug about Zemanta but also talks about Siri and Watson. It seems to me that the software agent as social media ombudsman is a trend that is on the rise. For example, this CMS enhancement uses a robotic reporter as a kind of assistant that records online meetings and publishes a summary of the minutes.
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  2. In this segment, KATO turns its robotic eye towards online media.

    What Makes an Internet Meme Go Viral?

    On The Media is an NPR franchise covering stories that focus on the media itself.

    Pandora Radio, Mobile and Beyond

    Joe Kennedy, CEO of Pandora, speaks on Pandora's future mobile implementations Pandora, a personalized Internet radio service, is one of the most popular free iPhone apps, with 5 million downloads since launching an iPhone app in September 2008. After launching a Blackberry app last month, Pandora has 1 million activations.

    S.773 - Cybersecurity Act of 2009

    A bill to ensure the continued free flow of commerce within the United States and with its global trading partners through secure cyber communications, to provide for the continued development and exploitation of the Internet and intranet communications for such purposes, to provide for the development of a cadre of information technology specialists to improve and maintain effective cybersecurity defenses against disruption, and for other purposes.
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  3. We continue to iterate the prototype as we make adjustments based on your feedback. Here is what is new from last week's version.


    • Some of you wanted to go straight into a chat session with KATO after telling KATO what to do so you don't have to click on the chat button anymore in that specific scenario.

    • We heard you complain about the detail area on the right hand side being too busy so we added a dual display/edit mode for you.

    • When you bring up a response on the right hand side, it starts in a display mode which is less busy. Clicking the edit button switches the display to edit mode. This is a toggle button so you can click it again to return to display mode.

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  4. We have reloaded a new mockup for KATO, this time with a more modern and stylish GUI. Here is what has changed from the previous one.


    • switched from Outlook style tabs to vertical tabs

    • switched from simple links to a multi-column grid

    • any result can now be a folder for more results

    • as you load more items into the right hand side, they just become tabs so you can revisit where you have already been more easily



    As always, let us know what you think. Is this mockup better than the last, worse, or about the same?
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  5. We are seriously contemplating a complete rewrite of the open source project KATO and ask that you help us decide which way is the right way to go.

    KATO is all about saving time online by delegating tasks to KATO. Let KATO do the repetitive and boring work to find what you are looking for then do what you want it to do once KATO finds what you are looking for.

    So, why should we redesign KATO now? Currently, the architecture is very focused on the notion of a repository of software agents. Each agent does one thing. The end user must schedule then configure an agent before running the engine. This requires that the end user must choose an agent and set up its parameters and events. The end user may even have to enter duplicate search criteria in order to run multiple agents on the same query. That doesn't sound very easy to us.

    The end user isn't the only one with a difficult task in KATO. Because the current architecture is software agent focused, the developers sometimes have to write duplicitous code. You have to create a new agent even if what you are looking for is already being handled by another agent but what you want to do with it once you find it is different.

    Please help us in this redesign effort so that we can get it right this time. I want you to participate in the ongoing discussion on this proposed redesign of KATO. I also want you to take this online survey to help us understand just what you are looking for in KATO.
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  6. From social media to business intelligence, software agents are subtly playing an important role in the shaping of the next generation of the web. In only two months, KATO has gathered an impressive catalog of agents but this is only the beginning.

    Imagine a world where any time consuming online task is delegated to your own personal KATO. Executives have their own personal assistant who delegate tasks to the most qualified person in the organization. With KATO, you will be able to state your wish and under-the-covers, KATO will find the right software agent or agents to make it so. Concerned about security? Order KATO to constantly check your accounts and profiles to guard against identity theft. Want the best deal on a purchase? Have KATO scour the web for the lowest price for what you want automatically. Need to keep up to date on recent trends of interest? Tell KATO to keep you informed about what is new without deluging you with what you already know. That is the future of KATO.

    The first step on the road to this vision is to build out a large catalog of those software agents. Here is where you can help shape this vision of the web's future.


    • What online tasks would you like to see KATO able to complete?

    • What software agents would you like to see as a part of the KATO catalog?



    Please contribute your ideas to KATO by joining the discussion either on the project web site or on the open source repository. Take part in exploring a web where you are in control. See you there.
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