Okay, this is quite amazing. Instant messaging has always been a function separated from the browser. Historically the browser was for displaying information, but with the rise of rich and interactive websites there is more to it. You can expect many innovations in browser technology, expecially with browsers that have have a plugin framework and a large developers community (like Mozilla/Firefox). When embedding an instant messaging mechanism, you can create 'object pools' that are kept synchronized across sessions of multiple parties. The objects can be a text box (chat application) or even a chessboard or graphics application. When this collaboration mechanism is embedded in the browser, it allows for any (generic) content to be shared and collaborated on. Also
read this if you're interested in the convergence of web and IM.
Real-Time Collaboration functionality Posted by Erik de Bruijn
in Tech & Internet at
12:28